Xixi Wetland Estate
Hangzhou, China
2007–15
Xixi, a national wetland park located on the outskirts of Hangzhou, is a built landscape and an area of nature, which has been shaped by man for over a thousand years. The omnipresent relationship between water, landscape, and architecture is key to the atmosphere in Xixi. This context has been integrated into a new development of apartment buildings.
The buildings are surrounded by a water garden, which, as a reference to the wetland park, is a mostly wild landscape. In contrast to these green surroundings, the buildings appear as dark stone volumes embedded in the water garden. They are, as is typical for villages in Xixi, placed on a stone plinth that sits in the water. This plinth forms the base of a village group with various levels, walls, and balustrades creating a sequence of exterior spaces, which enable access to the buildings. The interiors are characterised by floating spaces. Room height windows allow for natural light and views over the water garden.
Data and credits
- Project start
- 2007
- Construction start
- 2009
- Completion
- 2015
- Gross floor area
- 11,800m²
- Client
- Hangzhou Westbrook Investment Co. Ltd.
- Architect
- David Chipperfield Architects Berlin & Shanghai
- Partners
- David Chipperfield, Libin Chen, Mark Randel
- Project architect
- Ilona Priwitzer (Preparation and brief to Developed design), Manh Kinh Tran (Developed design, Technical design), Sascha Jung (Technical design), Samson Adjei (Technical design, Site design supervision)
- Project team
- Mirjam von Busch, Maoxue Li, Jiacong Yang
- Local architect
- East China Architecture and Design Institute
- Landscape architect
- Belt & Collins
- Lighting consultant
- Proteus Lighting
- Photography
- Simon Menges
