successfully
reviving local architectural traditions does not have to slip into decorative
folklore. the luxury villas at yangcheng lake near suzhou stand for the
aspirations of architects lyndon neri & rossana hu, subtly establishing a
symbiosis between chinese living traditions and international standards.
chinese
homeowners love traditional courtyards and have done so for at least 2500
years. everyone here knows this type of home as siheyuan. several of these
houses built close together formed a quarter – and together an entire city.
however, chinese real estate buyers in the 21st century also love globally
successful architecture based on the western style. the architects lyndon neri
& rossana hu from shanghai attempted a symbiosis of western and eastern
building traditions when they created a residential estate of 50 private homes
designed to meet both requirements on the outskirts of suzhou, a city with over
a million inhabitants. for european observers, however, the success of this
experiment is not immediately comprehensible. the white plastered upper floors
rest on a massive base of grey bricks and look quite european. the two long
rows of white country villas could just as easily stand on the havel river in
berlin or on a dutch canal.
traditional
chinese designs
in accordance
with the chinese building tradition, the protected inner courtyards only result
from the arrangement of the individual buildings next to each other. the outer
zones and the jetties in the lake in front also reflect designs from
traditional chinese horticulture – and this is particularly important in suzhou.
the centre of the ancient city is crossed by numerous historic canals. it
offers parks protected by world heritage status and has always celebrated a
special relationship to water. today, suzhou is a boomtown on the high-speed
railway line between shanghai and beijing as well as a preferred location for
international corporations. in this case, the direct connection of these villas
to the “yangcheng lake” is more than an attractive building ingredient. they
are part of the special atmosphere of the place. the materials of the villas
also tie in with traditions. the brickwork on the base floor, for example, is
simply grey to european observers. however, chinese who are familiar with the
area recognize in it the building material that has been preferred in their
region for thousands of years.
the public on
the ground floor
inside the
houses, delicate surfaces and carefully executed details dominate – completed
with the best that the german construction supplier industry has to offer in
terms of equipment – from fittings to doors. here too, however, there are
always details that mediate between the building traditions. the chinese
influence becomes particularly clear in the analysis of the floor plans. the
basement contains functional areas, a technical room and the maid's quarters.
all the “public” functions of the house are concentrated on the ground floor
and surrounded by brickwork. the upper floor, on the other hand, is consistently
reserved for private use. the “public” living room or the protected inner
courtyard serve primarily representative purposes and the entertaining of
guests. a second and truly private living area is located on the upper floor
between the bedrooms.
this is where the
actual family life takes place. the fact that the 600 square metre villas offer
no children's room at all or only one, depending on the variant, was originally
due to the former “one-child policy”. meanwhile, however, the families of the
up-and-coming chinese middle class are becoming similar to those in many highly
developed western states in this respect as well and are only too happy to
voluntarily limit themselves to a single child.
hörmann expertise:
top security
steel entrance doors
the play of
materiality and colour is one of the quality features of this residential
estate. the building is characterised by the white plaster of the upper floor,
corresponding to warm wood, and the greyish bricks typical of the region and
the full glazing of the ground floor. the floor-to-ceiling
entrance doors made of hörmann sheet steel match the colour of the anthracite-coloured
mullion and transom construction of the glass facade and provide access to the
50 villas. depending on the floor plan, they are flanked by fixed glass side
elements. the doors consist of two leaves: the normal entrance door and an
additional fixed side part that can be opened if required. the door leaves consist
of steel sheets and a core insulation of pu rigid foam, which ensures an
insulation value of ud = 1.7 w/(m2·k). for a high level of burglary protection,
the villas are equipped with doors with particularly effective
break-in-resistant security equipment. to emphasise the elegance of the
buildings, the architects chose simple, elongated door handles made of
stainless steel. top security entrance doors are only available on the asian
market.
location: 199 yangchenghuan road, yangcheng lake, suzhou, cn
hörmann products: top security entrance doors with rc 3 security equipment
