Life and Aesthetics Experience in Phoenix Mansion / gad

Architects: gad
Location: Feng Qi Lu, Xiacheng Qu, Hangzhou Shi, Zhejiang Sheng, China
Landscape Design: Ueyakato Landscape, Suzhou Institute of Landscape Architecture Design
Interior Design: Carlisle Design Studio, Burega Farnell (L.A.)
Area: 2127.0 m2
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Yi Fan

Foreword: Recall and Expectation, Dialogue and Codependence
If the city is a mixture between new and old, then the time is moments gathering in the city corner, hidden, but pure. Separating city’s cutting section, dialogue and codependence in diverse tenses can be found. We are making great efforts in recall and expectation, looking back shows hidden impressions, and looking forward embraces a promising future at present.

Start well: Modest Beginnings, Intelligential Creation
Phoenix Mansion, located in city gate of Hangzhou with ancient history, borders ancient moat in the east, adjoins to antique Chaoming Temple in the west with distinguished history, obtains abundant original buildings in the 1980s with signs of the times, and experiences busy marketplaces with pregnant cultures. Looking back, leading to future; taking things as they are, converting all nature on earth. Design intents to combine complexity with diversity, to display the core of “oriental sight”, however, “sight” is subtle and immaterialized. When co-designed by designers from China, Japan, England and Singapore, from the perspective of the East and the West, “oriental appeal” changes in unity.

Forget everything, arrange in a good order – Secluded in a garden entrance of the corner of marketplace, by virtue of horizontally extended canopy to restrain space perception properly, narrow, deep and quiet Chinese asters wriggle, isolating noises. The dialogue between experiencers and core gardens are repeated again and again among isologue and retrospect. Dappled VIP rooms are destinations, hidden and quiet. Pavilion, balcony, corridor and other semi-outer spaces, are organic compositions of core gardens, also a sound open place for experiencing life, and single red maple indoors serves as a center of the experience. Peaceful state of mind is pure in oriental Zen’s aesthetics. Here, quietness and open coexist, and purity and abundance accompany.

Indoor place and core garden directly face to each other, continuing a comfortable and elegant indoor atmosphere. Japanese rock garden integrates abstract lines, showing a distant mood to modern from tradition. A white toe wall between garden and north building is laid to for appropriate separation. Exposed roof is hidden but implied. Box-shaped building volume and scattered VIP room echo with each other. Half-seen light on the roof is the metaphor to traditional lanterns, demonstrating oriental implications within small spaces. Home, heart, sincerity and nature, still are the invariable themes in life.

Observing universe by the way of up and down to the origin – Gardens in north adopt solemn styles of overhanging, ornament on roof ridge as well as bracket, to map with historical contents; boards under the roof employ hollowed-out rhombus with dainty and exquisite; production for modern large glasses combines with the traditional one, integrating view borrowing with opposite scenery and other skills of traditional gardens, is the unify between modern lifestyle and traditional spatial series.

Master heart, with everything in harmony – Interior design is also an integration of oriental artistic conception under the vision of internationalization. The Western antique silver and Chinese woodcarving patterns contrast finely with each other. Long cherished Four Stack Room Pandect foils warm and elegant atmosphere, and high quality solid wood, granite, marble and other materials mix and match, presenting an acute and artistic effect, refining and focusing on internal and external functions, and extending the balance aesthetics between inner space and outer environment.

To Be Continued: A Peaceful Mind Converting All Nature on Earth
Looking back on the long river of history, the past imprint of land is still flowing here. For the moment of practicing life, the life ideal can’t be measured by matter. Exploring an unknown future is not equal to a grafting of tomorrow without foundation. When life is still in the process of subverting forward following the traditional imprint, the rich and diverse personality is open to the future. We stand in leisurely years, seeing the past and future of the city, with the peaceful mind rooting here and sprouting later.