The autumn of 2019, we were commissioned to redesign an old industrial site of 4000m2, containing some abandoned workshop buildings and warehouses. The proprietor hoped to build a modern garden-villa. The new building would be used as a hotel (about 20 rooms), meanwhile, a vacation villa was planned for the client’s family. We decided with the proprietor to set up more public spaces so that the project would be a local cultural and touristic complex, which could receive a number of customers not staying.
The site is surrounded by a river in the north, a town road in the west and an orchard-field in the east. The adjacent industrial site in the south needs to be obstructed by a high wall. The main entrance is situated in the north side, a bridge crossing the river, which is similar to Canglang Pavilion Garden. A linear glass volume beside the entrance is overhung above the river, which is light and transparent. People siting and drinking tea therein, watch the landscape that permeates mutually between the garden and the river. Meanwhile, the riverbank can be also used as public landscape space for the native residents. Retail and displaying spaces are placed by street-side in the west.
The whole garden is divided into two parts, a water garden and a courtyard of gravel. This courtyard is surrounded by the tearoom, the displaying space and the canteen, which is able to hold a party, forming a neat glass façade and sharing the view of the courtyard. Guestrooms on the second and the third floor retreat a little to keep a certain distance for privacy.
The border of the water garden is irregular, providing varied surrounding façades, like Master of the Nets Garden. Walkways and corridors around water give the experience of promenade, repose and viewing. A pavilion is formed at the joint point of two corridors, floating lightly above the water, hiding the villa building in the north behind its back. The first floor of the east volume is a little art gallery, also used as a handcraft atelier, whose glass façade brings in the landscape of the orchard-field on the east of the site, gaining visual depth for the whole garden. Eight guestrooms are set on the second and third floor, viewing the orchard-field.
