The residential project Xixi Wetland Estate on the outskirts of the Chinese city of Hangzhou is now complete. Xixi, a national wetland park, is a built landscape and an area of nature which has been shaped by man for over a thousand years. The omnipresent relationship between landscape, architecture, and water is key to the atmosphere in Xixi. This atmosphere has been integrated into a new development of apartment buildings. The buildings, in contrast to their green surroundings, appear as dark stone volumes embedded in a water garden. They are placed on a stone plinth that sits in the water, forming the base of a village group with various levels, walls and balustrades creating a sequence of outside spaces. The interiors are characterised by floating open spaces. Full-height windows allow for natural light and views over the water garden.
Photo © Simon Menges