Project Overview

This project is situated at the core section of Suzhou Industrial Park, adjacent to Suzhou's traditional central district, boasting abundant cultural heritage and landscape resources.

The site is surrounded by a complete range of high-quality supporting facilities, encompassing commercial services, medical care, and educational institutions. Its transportation accessibility is exceptional: the northern side abuts Jinji Lake Avenue, a major urban thoroughfare, with Metro Lines 5 and 7 in proximity. Encircled by Huangtiandang Lake on three sides, the plot is adjacent to Dushu Lake and commands a distant view of Jinji Lake. With the exception of high-rise office buildings on the western side, the vistas from all other directions are broad and unobstructed.

The overall planning is centered on two core concepts: "overlooking outward" and "integrating inward". The general layout of the buildings adheres to the existing urban spatial structure: high-rise residential buildings are arranged on the northwest side of the plot, low-rise residential buildings are positioned at the southeast corner, and mid-rise residential buildings are deployed in the central area. The overall elevation of the development gradually ascends from south to north and from east to west. This design fully opens up the southern boundary of the community to the lake scenery, and creates a living waterfront where the inside and outside blend.

Organisation

gad Design Group Ltd.

Team

Wu Shouqing，Song Xinpei，Liu Yong，Liu Ge，Gu Fangrong，Wang Yi，Ai Zhizhong，Zeng Enjie，Chen Zhenyu，Zhou Huimin，Zhang Xiaojuan，Liu Yating，Zheng Cheng，Cai Jianming

Project Brief

Suzhou, where the project is situated, is an ancient city boasting a 2,500-year history. Its cultural hallmarks—including Suzhou Classical Literati Gardens, Suzhou Silk, and Kunqu Opera—epitomize the city’s spirit of "exquisite elegance and the integration of literary temperament with artisanal craftsmanship".

Contemporary Suzhou is flourishing with extraordinary vitality at the intersection of tradition and modernity. From the clustered landmarks in the Industrial Park to the fragrance of coffee lingering beneath the ancient city walls, Suzhou has presented to the world a new paradigm of urban development characterized by the harmonious coexistence of tradition and modernity.

The core tenet of our design lies in the modern interpretation of Suzhou’s traditional cultural context. We strive to craft modern Oriental-style mansions through elegant roof curves, rich light and shadow effects, as well as concise and refined lines, thereby conveying the implicit and subtle poetic conception inherent in traditional Chinese aesthetics.

To date, the demonstration area of the project has been fully constructed and opened to potential homebuyers. As illustrated in the accompanying photographs, the demonstration area comprises a front courtyard space and a homecoming lobby that embody a strong sense of ritual, a sunken courtyard infused with Oriental charm, a fully functional underground clubhouse developed around the courtyard, and show apartments for the residential offerings.

Project Innovation/Need

The innovation of the project is primarily manifested in the modern interpretation of Suzhou’s traditional cultural context. This interpretation is reflected not only in facade forms but more profoundly in architectural spaces, which are embodied specifically in the design of each functional block as follows:

1．Main Entrance：It takes the form of an oriental roof ridge imbued with the artistic charm of traditional Chinese architecture, which internalizes the elegant curved roof structure . From the frontal perspective, it presents the grand gateway of a traditional mansion. Stepping into the semi-outdoor drop-off zone, visitors are greeted by a continuous curved roofscape, with natural light filtering through the gaps between the roof panels, thus forging a distinctive and memorable spatial experience.

2. Sunken Courtyard: This space pays homage to Huanxiu Villa, a masterpiece among traditional Suzhou Classical Gardens. This garden creates rich landscape layers within a limited spatial scope, embodying the spatial aesthetic principle of “seeing the grand in the small”. The pathway leading to the sunken courtyard features alternating light and shadow, which replicates the rhythmic charm of “views changing with each step” unique to Suzhou Gardens.

3. Courtyard Villas: The horizontal eaves stretch out in a graceful and unhurried manner, forming a facade that exudes the style of modern oriental architecture. With a significantly increased window-to-wall ratio, the building is lighter and more transparent than previous projects, blurring the boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces and maximizing the connection between humans and nature.

Design Challenge

The design challenges are mainly reflected in two aspects:
1. We has imposed stringent control over facade costs and required to achieve a refined and luxurious visual effect within a relatively limited budget. To this end, we spent a considerable period sampling and comparing construction materials, and also carried out meticulous optimization design for curtain wall joints. Through multiple rounds of physical facade mock-up wall construction and effect verification, coupled with repeated deliberation and revision, we ultimately achieved a satisfactory outcome.

2.The local planning authority has put forward numerous requirements regarding the project’s layout and main entrance design. We conducted many rounds of in-depth consultations and negotiations, striving to better integrate the project with the existing urban fabric and enhance the urban landscape around the site, on the premise of complying with the planning authority’s stipulations. Particularly for the interface design adjacent to the main road and waterfront, we took full account of the relationships between the project, the city and the landscape, to realize a state of harmonious integration where the project coexists in perfect harmony with the lake.

Sustainability

The sustainability of the project is mainly reflected in three aspects:

1. In accordance with the site’s characteristic of being surrounded by water on three sides for approximately 750 meters, this project creates an oasis independent of the urban hustle and bustle and builds a vibrant ecological landscape belt along the lake. It not only improves the ecological environment of the lakeside but also provides the community with diverse living scenarios such as walking, sightseeing, fitness, parent-child activities, and gatherings. Representative local plants of Suzhou are selected to enable the modern waterfront space to engage in a dialogue with the local culture.

2. Following the construction philosophy of diverting water into the garden, arranging water to shape the garden, and activating the garden with lake water, the central water street cleverly divides the high-rise area and the courtyard area. Combined with extensive greenery, the layered water features and shaded green plants improve the ecological environment and air quality of the entire park.

3. The building facades feature large, overhanging eaves arranged in layers, which, integrated with the building’s sun-shading needs, achieve a certain level of passive energy conservation. Energy-efficient glass is adopted to meet the requirements of energy conservation and environmental protection.