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We were selected to design nine villas in a gated community on the outskirts of Shanghai each with its own unique expression. The site consists of 78 private villas and a club facility, set on a 46-acre site near She Shan Hill which today is the site of catholic church and at one time and an ancient pilgrimage destination. The site is configured into a network of lakes, to provide a water edge to nearly every villa. The villas were designed by an international team of architects, planners, landscape architects, and interior designers. The most important instruction from our clients was to create homes that were timeless. The homes range in size from approximately 3,000 square feet to approximately 7,000 square feet.
Published in the Seattle Times, Sunday January 23, 2011.
The scope of the work, simultaneously detailing nine top quality villas became a daunting challenge. In addition the clients in China requested that all construction systems be concrete, structural steel with aluminum and glass glazing systems. The commercial studio was brought in to prepare construction documents for these homes using their understanding of concrete construction and curtain wall detailing. The commercial studio developed a detailing program for all nine villas so that common construction techniques could be applied to many villas. This approach was aimed at reducing cost and leveraging the advantage of designing so many homes simultaneously.
The growth and pressures of living in large cities has created a demand for more living space. At the same time the economic boom in China has given many Chinese the means to achieve this new expansive lifestyle. Privacy, peacefulness, and reflection greatly are desired while still maintaining a sense of place within a closely knit neighborhood community. Each villa is located beside one of a series of linked lakes. According to Stuart Silk, “Each home is wedded conceptually to its individual site. There has been an emphasis on the stories behind each home. This is an Eastern tradition that can be traced to poems written about pavilions in Chinese gardens dating back to the Second Century AD.”
In the end the project was delivered to the Chinese client with several hundred details; many developed to be applied systematically to several villas to reduce costs and streamline the construction of the villas. The homes are now being completed and the houses will be occupied in 2011. With a prominent summer of 2010 Domus China article, every expectation is that the project will be incredibly successful and unique in China.
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