GRAND PRIX DU DESIGN PARIS 2023

Residential Building

Casa na Rua Montebelo 59
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This is a project for the restoration of a heritage-protected building in Foz Velha. It includes a doorway that belongs to a 14th-century construction, being cited in the classification municipal paper that this element is contemporary to the Castle of Foz. Medieval elements in the layered-by-time ruin strengthen the building's ownership of the value of antiquity.
Medieval European constructions that reached our times emphasised enclosure from the public space. Coincidentally, contemporary local architectural tendencies seem to emphasise enclosure. Therefore, the project is based on the purpose of maintaining this character of the exterior shape — solid appearance closed to the exterior, giving privacy and tranquility from an increasingly overburdened world.
The project of a double bedroom, single family house comprises the creation of a new floor with a generous terrace using much of the original granite complemented by travertine and wood. The use of natural materials with the interplay of shadow and light has created a 21st-century space with respect for the past, and an eye to the future.

Designer: Alessandro Pepe

Studied Architecture at DAD Politecnico di Torino (Italy) concluding his training with Luigi Snozzi in Monte Carasso (Switzerland). He has worked with Balkrishna Doshi in Ahmedabad (India) and Álvaro Leite Siza Vieira in Porto (Portugal) before opening his own practice.
He is a member of both the Northern Portugal Architects Association (OASRN) and Italian Architects Association of Turin (OAT).
His work has been recognized by several national and international publishing organizations such as Público, Archdaily, Anteprojectos, Divisare, Plataforma Arquitectura, Espaço de Arquitectura, Archello and Dezeen within others.

Agency: Alessandro Pepe Arquitecto

Architecture and spirit aren’t concrete entities, but ideal concepts: architecture is to building as spirit is to living.
Human beings formulated these concepts for the pursuit of emancipation from the transience of life. We human beings yearn for absoluteness since our science doesn’t give us absolute answers.
Architecture has materiality and a spirit.
Alessandro Pepe Arquitecto is located in Porto, Portugal. Our work is constituted by 70% of residential projects. 50% of our commissions include the restoration of existing buildings. Our influences mostly originate from historical European architecture (prominently from Italy that is the place where we started our activity) and contemporary architecture, mostly from Portugal.

Casa Capitão Pombeiro
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A configuração original do lote, típica do Porto, estreita e comprida, apresentava um volume pré-existente ao Rés-do-chão, construído posteriormente ao edifício principal, que estendia-se 6 metros a frente do alinhamento tardoz. Optou-se pela reabilitação desse volume para destina-lo a cozinha e sala de jantar. Criaram-se novas e grandes aberturas para trazer mais luz no ambiente.
O corremão da nova escada tem revestimento em madeira de mogno e estrutura em ferro, a qual permitiu reduzir os pontos de apoio. Um elemento decorativo em madeira ao nível do primeiro patamar cria laços de referência com a arquitectura tradicional.
A suite é projectada como um ambiente austero, aonde a geometria do novo armário domina o ambiente e serve como elemento de difusão da iluminação indirecta. Os quartos dos dois filhos apresentam uma disposição que optimiza o escasso espaço disponível. O armário estende-se até criar a cabeceira da cama. Próxima a janela e bem iluminada surge uma zona de estudo. As janelas apresentam novas portadas interiores, que seguem o modelo tradicional e permitem procurar a privacidade a quantidade de luz requerida de forma eficiente.
O espaço do sótão é pensado como um lugar de estudo para os dois filhos. A estrutura em madeira da cobertura é nova, a forma das asnas é definida procurando eficiência estática e proporção estética em relação aos outros elementos presentes no espaço: o corrimão e as portas dos armários.
Na situação pré-existente, o jardim situava-se a uma cota de 1,3 metros superior ao Rés-do-chão. Optou-se para escavar gradualmente em proximidade da casa criando um espaço relvado com degraus em madeira a formar um anfiteatro.
O projecto da Casa na Rua de Capitão Pombeiro 69 começou como operação comercial de venda de um imóvel chaves-na mão em parceria entre o Arquitecto Alessandro Pepe, a empresa Azu e o construtor Paulo Bessa Lda. Graças a boa disposição dos compradores, Emanuel Pinto e Ana Castro, adeptos de um design simples e puro, a operação tornou-se um sucesso e durante o processo o clima de cooperação foi alegre e amigável.

O espaço do sótão é pensado como um lugar de estudo para os dois filhos. A estrutura em madeira da cobertura é nova, a forma das asnas é definida procurando eficiência estática e proporção estética em relação aos outros elementos presentes no espaço: o corrimão e as portas dos armários.
Na situação pré-existente, o jardim situava-se a uma cota de 1,3 metros superior ao Rés-do-chão. Optou-se para escavar gradualmente em proximidade da casa criando um espaço relvado com degraus em madeira a formar um anfiteatro.
O projecto da Casa na Rua de Capitão Pombeiro 69 começou como operação comercial de venda de um imóvel chaves-na mão em parceria entre o Arquitecto Alessandro Pepe, a empresa Azu e o construtor Paulo Bessa Lda. Graças a boa disposição dos compradores, Emanuel Pinto e Ana Castro, adeptos de um design simples e puro, a operação tornou-se um sucesso e durante o processo o clima de cooperação foi alegre e amigável.

Designer: Alessandro Pepe

Studied Architecture at DAD Politecnico di Torino (Italy) concluding his training with Luigi Snozzi in Monte Carasso (Switzerland). He has worked with Balkrishna Doshi in Ahmedabad (India) and Álvaro Leite Siza Vieira in Porto (Portugal) before opening his own practice.
He is a member of both the Northern Portugal Architects Association (OASRN) and Italian Architects Association of Turin (OAT).
His work has been recognized by several national and international publishing organizations such as Público, Archdaily, Anteprojectos, Divisare, Plataforma Arquitectura, Espaço de Arquitectura, Archello and Dezeen within others.

Agency: Alessandro Pepe Arquitecto

Architecture and spirit aren’t concrete entities, but ideal concepts: architecture is to building as spirit is to living.
Human beings formulated these concepts for the pursuit of emancipation from the transience of life. We human beings yearn for absoluteness since our science doesn’t give us absolute answers.
Architecture has materiality and a spirit.
Alessandro Pepe Arquitecto is located in Porto, Portugal. Our work is constituted by 70% of residential projects. 50% of our commissions include the restoration of existing buildings. Our influences mostly originate from historical European architecture (prominently from Italy that is the place where we started our activity) and contemporary architecture, mostly from Portugal.

Casa Costa Cabral
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The Casa na Rua de Costa Cabral 944 is a single-familiy house located in the center of the city of Porto (Portugal, Western Europe). It resulted by the extention and restoration of a 1870s building whose structure is made by solid granite stone.
Porto is a windy city facing the Atlantic Ocean, whose sunlight is bright and white. Air is clean, and comparatively low polluted, thanks to the Atlantic Ocean influence. Part of Porto city center is classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, due to its traditonal architecture. Porto can be considered one of the world capitals of contemporary architecture, being the homeland of two Pritzker Prize winners.

Description of the project: the kitchen.
This project is located in a long and narrow land plot. The ground floor area is extended beyond the standard fachade alignment. The extended area hosts the kitchen and encloses a pátio. A tall narrow vertical window in the kitchen permits eye contact within the main three spaces of the house: the kitchen, the living room and the main suite room.
The living room. It receives natural ilumination through the pátio that reflected by the walls gets uniform, creating optimal conditions for its purpouse: relaxation and reading.
The suite room. An horizontal window through the whole lenght of the room permits uniform ilumination and a pleasant view of the garden. Moreover the shape of this opening facilitates darkening.
The daughter and son’s rooms. Oriented North-west, they are confronted by the busy Rua Costa Cabral. We adopted a feature that reduces the acustic flow increasing the scarce natural lighting: it has been to slide the surface of the openings up, bending them to the sky. We did obtain a view of the blue that plases the youngster while they use this space to study.
This last feature did permit to provide proportions to the main elevation of the building that respect the pre-existent 1870s building fachade.

Designer: Alessandro Pepe

Studied Architecture at DAD Politecnico di Torino (Italy) concluding his training with Luigi Snozzi in Monte Carasso (Switzerland). He has worked with Balkrishna Doshi in Ahmedabad (India) and Álvaro Leite Siza Vieira in Porto (Portugal) before opening his own practice.
He is a member of both the Northern Portugal Architects Association (OASRN) and Italian Architects Association of Turin (OAT).
His work has been recognized by several national and international publishing organizations such as Público, Archdaily, Anteprojectos, Divisare, Plataforma Arquitectura, Espaço de Arquitectura, Archello and Dezeen within others.

Agency: Alessandro Pepe Arquitecto

Architecture and spirit aren’t concrete entities, but ideal concepts: architecture is to building as spirit is to living.
Human beings formulated these concepts for the pursuit of emancipation from the transience of life. We human beings yearn for absoluteness since our science doesn’t give us absolute answers.
Architecture has materiality and a spirit.
Alessandro Pepe Arquitecto is located in Porto, Portugal. Our work is constituted by 70% of residential projects. 50% of our commissions include the restoration of existing buildings. Our influences mostly originate from historical European architecture (prominently from Italy that is the place where we started our activity) and contemporary architecture, mostly from Portugal.

Gallery House
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The Gallery House, together with the recently finished Espai Saó, is part of a set of interventions carried out for the Mas Blanch i Jové winery, located in the small town of La Pobla de Cérvoles, in Lleida, province of Catalonia.
The house is an encounter between a family house, a small hotel, and an art gallery. In 2017, the owners of the Mas Blanch i Jové winery decided to buy an old house close to the winery, with the aim of reforming it to accommodate the growing number of visitors to the winery, but also to be used throughout the family at their meetings in the Little village.
In the process of the project conceptualization, RSA proposed to relate the house to the artistic experience of the winery itself, represented by the sculpture garden: every year, a renowned artist-sculptor is invited to build a sculpture in the vineyards, with total freedom of subject, location and material. Around the garden there are works by Joan Brossa, Frederic Amat, Evru, or the most recent by Eva Lootz. From now on, each artist will be asked to make a small intervention in the house, creating a joint experience in the visit to the different facilities of the winery.

The project proposes a clear and accurate division of the house by means of a cross established in plan and section, which opens four huge windows in each one of the facades of the house, putting it in close contact with the picturesque landscape of the place. This cross occupies and resolves the circulation spaces, widened to accommodate more function than the distributive itself. These spaces are cladded with cor-ten steel plates, an identifying material of the winery itself, omnipresent in the sculptures and works that Josep Guinovart, a renowned artist, intimate friend of the owners, made throughout his life for the winery. The steel, cold and not a domestic material, represents the exhibition spaces, housed in this cross. Around it, the domestic spaces are deployed, with a completely opposite materiality: mortars, cements and gray tones in the common ground floor spaces; and wood, ceramics and mirrors in the bedrooms upstairs. The material collision is direct on the upper floor: from the metallic and cold space of the exhibition areas, one accesses, through a door with different finish on each side, to the warm and comfortable wooden environments of the bedrooms.
The crucial point of the house is the center of the cross, solved by a small bridge that flies over the ground floor and from which the four large windows open with no frames: two small benches to admire the landscape finish off the axes of the bedrooms; two double height voids star in the remaining sides.

On the ground floor, the distribution takes place around a kitchen, toilets and warehouses block, connecting all areas in a circular path, increasing interior complexity, and passing through spaces of varying heights, compressing and decompressing the spaces. On the top floor, five bedrooms with their own bathrooms occupy the four corners. The same type of bedroom receives five variants, in particular in the bathrooms, each one of a different color, highlighted by the joint between ceramic tiles, the painting of the walls, and the color of the sinks themselves.
Outside, some interventions denote the new character of the house: the four new windows, which cross the facades, with a strange scale to the house itself; the carpet-like cladding of cor-ten steel access stairs; the new socles of the same material, as well as the porch of the entrance, and a greater homogeneity in the outer finishings.
A new fence of cor-ten steel plates closes the house to the outside, and according to the angle, closes or opens the house in view of the passerby.

Designer: Raúl Sánchez

Raúl Sánchez graduated architect from the architecture school in Granada, Spain. Since 2005 resides and works in Barcelona developing a professional activity which escapes specialization in order to cover all types of work and projects related to architecture, interiorism and design.
He is professor in ‘private perimeters’, a postgraduate diploma in interior design in Elisava School of Design, Barcelona.
The work of the office has numerous awards and is published worlwide in printed and online media.
Our approach to architecture and design is based on the encounter of humanism+technique: the former relies on the world of ideas, on the conceptual and cultural focus, while the latter brings the constructive coherence, the grammar, into the equation.
We don’t work with methods, we use no preconceived formulas, we just work with the space, and the space is the conjunction of material, construction, structure, light, color, texture… and thus, each new project is a new challenge

Best of Residential buildings 

The Sower
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Nothing is more precious than life. In the West hills of Beijing, a suitable place for begonia growth, creative inspiration is most likely to burst out. In 2018, The Sower beside Badachu used beautiful buildings to create a world that treats everything as it is and acts on its own.
The Sower, integrated into the beautiful landscape of Xishan Badachu and Yongding River, inherits the simplicity and elegance of modern Mandarin architectural language. This low-density residential area of pure foreign houses blossoms the freehand beauty of Chinese architecture.
In the city life, we are experiencing great changes all the time. In the collision of multi-cultures, Chinese people have more expectations for the aesthetics of living. Therefore, The Sower uses "new Mandarin" to reconstruct Chinese and Western architectural elements, and finds the "meaning" of China in the world culture in the new "form".
The whole community is divided into 3 plots, composed of 30 residential buildings, 2 supporting buildings, 1 commercial office building, a total of 1156 households. The general plane is the overall layout of the cross axis, the space sequence of folding and placing, classical charm, elegant, dignified architectural temperament. The design concept is green, civilized, harmonious and livable.
The facade creation of The Sower inherits the modern Mandarin evolution of Chinese architecture, integrates the calm and solemn Chinese roof with the classical three-section facade with simple and symmetrical lines. It carefully sculpted the size of beams and columns and the proportion of window walls to increase the permeability of the facade. The decorative details are rich, delicate and durable.
The building facade is layered with warm grey, from the roof, house body, eave decoration, ornamentation, platform, corner...... Each color has to go through seventeen rounds of physical proofing, which is three degrees deep and three degrees shallow. The actual color and the environment integration degree in the morning, noon, evening, sunny, rainy and even hazy days are studied. The color construction scheme was made after forty days of careful consideration. With both the texture of Chinese architecture and the common aesthetic color of the global intellectual class, the nervous and busy mood will be quiet at the moment of seeing home.
Ordinary buildings only pay attention to the outer facades around the building, while Green Town also pays attention to the fifth facade outside the four facades, which is equally important for presenting the beauty of the whole building. Freehand landscape is reflected in the integration between the architectural outline and nature. The building of The Sower takes the sloping roof, once the most important order language of Chinese architecture, as the fifth facade, which becomes the brushwork of dialogue with the mountain. With flowing consciousness, echoing the vein of the mountain. The layered sloping roof is the outline of another mountain when viewed from afar, the lighthouse for returning home when viewed from close, and the eaves where family members can enjoy the rain on the mountain.
Proportion is superfluous to necessity, but essential to the beauty and poetry of architecture. We want children to grow up in an environment of beauty and build up the perception dimension of beauty. This is a matter of great concern to the spiritual happiness of one's life.
In terms of space design, The Sower penetrates the value orientation of family and personal life into the architectural dedication to details and the perfect design of life functions. In terms of space construction, it strives to achieve the uniformity of landscape resources and household layout. Each household has 2-3 square rooms facing south, which fully meets the needs of the current mainstream family life in China.
In the limited space of 90-135 square meters to develop 3-4 products, fully meet the newlywed, second child, three generations of the same family, home care and other extendable functional needs, the whole house only one bearing column, to reserve more possibilities for life.
The Sower pays tribute to the spirit of Chinese garden, the garden as an inseparable living space, considerable, can travel, but also can stop. At the same time, the garden space is also created as an extension of the interior space. All the apartment types are transparent from north to south, with 2-3 rooms facing south. The large area of window sash design and the unobstructed viewing interface guide users out of the house, towards the park and into the nature. Extending from space design to an all-round design of living culture, The Sower takes social oriented living space to establish a real connection with nature and settle the energy of changing the world.

Agency: GOA (Group of Architects )

As a large design organization with premium architectural quality as its ultimate mission, GOA provides customers with highly reliable and integrated professional services. The Company currently boasts a pool of more than 800 professionals and sets up offices in Hangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing and Nanjing, forming a full-profession system covering urban design, architectural creation, engineering design, and management consulting. With irreplaceable pioneering advantages in such fields as high-rise buildings, hotels, urban mansions, sci-tech parks, and characteristic towns, GOA is also one of the first private design organizations that obtain the national class-A qualification in construction engineering.
Since its foundation in 1998, GOA has always adhered to a principal-centered working mode. Bolstered by a powerful operative platform, more than 30 principals and their professional teams are closely connected through three systems, i.e. Project Manager, Design Manger and Engineering Manager to dig into the whole-process quality control of each project. With a deep insight into customers’ value demands at multiple levels and being good at combining international vision with local conditions, GOA not only provides systematic design solutions, but also efficiently integrates top-notch expert resources worldwide, with a view to provide customers with highly diversified and well-processed works.
A rigorous, objective, diversified and open corporate culture is the brand gene of GOA that provides professionals with attractive work environment and remuneration, cares about and supports the independent growth of outstanding talents, and constantly creates an innovation atmosphere of interdisciplinary cooperation. By dint of its unique vitality, GOA is devoted to providing every employee with a platform to practice and fulfill dreams.

Best of Residential buildings 

Sincere Garden
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The site is located in Ganjingzi District, Dalian, with good natural conditions and perfect surrounding cultural and educational facilities.
At the first sight of Dalian, the city is full of romance, customs and fashion, and the wind, sea tide, mountains and rivers are natural symbols brought to it. How to show the vitality of the city in the design? How to integrate the mountain and sea culture into the site? How to make the owners have emotional resonance in the field? We decided to use modern design techniques to interpret urban classics and artistic thinking back to spiritual innovation, so as to convey the "modern Oriental Zen" with Dalian characteristics.
The project consists of 11 floors of small high-rise residences and 27 to 30 floors of high-rise residences. The high-rise buildings are arranged along the north Planning Road and the east Shandong Road, two high grade urban arteries, and the small high-rise buildings are arranged in groups in the hinterland of each block. The spatial order is clear and the scale is pleasant. The entrance of the community and the bottom business of life service are spread along the road, and the kindergarten is also arranged along the road in the southwest corner of the plot, forming a good living atmosphere together. Public rental housing is arranged along the street in the northwest corner of the plot, which is conducive to independent management and operation in the future.
Residential design standards are better than those of the same grade surrounding real estate, all for hardcover delivery, equipped with central air conditioning and floor heating. High-rise residential all for the north and south transparent housing, 98 square economic side households three rooms, two halls and one bathroom, compact and comfortable plane. The middle apartment is 95 square meters, three bedrooms, two living rooms and one bathroom or 85 square meters, two rooms, two living rooms and one bathroom, with a balcony outside the bedroom. Small high-rise 11 floors, are 99 square, three rooms, two halls, one bathroom and 115 square, three rooms, two halls, two bathrooms, with an independent storage space. Gift living room, study outside the usual step balcony, landscape view is excellent.
The facade design adopts modern style, reflecting the typical characteristics of the second generation of high-rise buildings in Greentown. The stretch horizontal lines are matched with oversized glass Windows, and the middle is inlaid with gray aluminum plate or paint wall. The volume and lines of the facade are abstracted and simplified into a geometric composition with good proportion and beautiful rhythm through modern techniques. In detail design, the handover and collocation of materials are carefully processed, and the light warm gray system is used in the color, which not only effectively reflects the concise fashion of modern architecture, but also fully ensures the sense of quality of the building. The facade of the building coexisting with beauty and delicacy, stretch transverse lines, ultra wide glass Windows, concave and convex facade become an oncoming visual feast. The material is made of self-cleaning real stone paint, exquisite materials and full texture.
The elegant welcoming lobby, the scientifically planned U-shaped welcoming and drop-off area, and the smart and beautiful entrance porch highlight the attitude of exquisite life with the architectural sense of beauty. You can feel the beauty of art and the sense of ritual of returning home during the walking.
French style garden, "three axes, two rings and multiple gardens" design, three main axis landscape, landscape ring and runway, multiple zoning garden, create a pleasant neighborhood interaction scale. About 80 meters of floor spacing, let the sun covered with life, lush garden to fulfill the green city "landscape first" commitment, let the owners to enjoy rich vegetation.

Agency: GOA (Group of Architects )

As a large design organization with premium architectural quality as its ultimate mission, GOA provides customers with highly reliable and integrated professional services. The Company currently boasts a pool of more than 800 professionals and sets up offices in Hangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing and Nanjing, forming a full-profession system covering urban design, architectural creation, engineering design, and management consulting. With irreplaceable pioneering advantages in such fields as high-rise buildings, hotels, urban mansions, sci-tech parks, and characteristic towns, GOA is also one of the first private design organizations that obtain the national class-A qualification in construction engineering.
Since its foundation in 1998, GOA has always adhered to a principal-centered working mode. Bolstered by a powerful operative platform, more than 30 principals and their professional teams are closely connected through three systems, i.e. Project Manager, Design Manger and Engineering Manager to dig into the whole-process quality control of each project. With a deep insight into customers’ value demands at multiple levels and being good at combining international vision with local conditions, GOA not only provides systematic design solutions, but also efficiently integrates top-notch expert resources worldwide, with a view to provide customers with highly diversified and well-processed works.
A rigorous, objective, diversified and open corporate culture is the brand gene of GOA that provides professionals with attractive work environment and remuneration, cares about and supports the independent growth of outstanding talents, and constantly creates an innovation atmosphere of interdisciplinary cooperation. By dint of its unique vitality, GOA is devoted to providing every employee with a platform to practice and fulfill dreams.

BSP20 House
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This complex project began 8 years ago, going through all kinds of situations: squats, regulatory disagreements, changes in use, slow and complicated work...although the client's desire to leave the walls with exposed brick and using hydraulic mosaic (the cliché of Barcelona) remained unalterable. In addition, the requirements were to convert this small building located in the Borne district of Barcelona, ​​​​from the end of the 19th century and with 4 floors (but barely 20sqm per floor), into a place where to be able to work and spend short stays in their visits to Barcelona, ​​​​although, along these 8 years, the personal and family situation of the client has changed, to which the project has adapted.
The original situation of the property was in ruins, with very damaged floor slabs, weak stairs, parts of them demolished . Added to this was the need to adapt the building to current regulations, which made it practically impossible from the start to reuse the interior, proceeding to completely demolish the building, maintaining only the facades and dividing walls, and the roof slab (not the stair tower, which was rebuilt).

The construction process, slow and complex, at least allowed decisions to be made as the essence of the estate was revealed with the demolitions. Thus, once all the floors slabs had been demolished and the building was seen as a slender and tall prism formed by walls with a completely heterogeneous composition of all kinds of bricks and stones arranged without apparent order or composition, the idea of ​​leaving all these walls exposed became conceptual: these four walls, over 15m high, are a museum of the building's history, where any trace of its construction (arches, lintels, stairs and beams), and of its use (mortar remains , furnishings, claddings..) will be left unaltered, exposed in all its crudeness. The new floors (3 in total) will be supported by new beams between the dividing walls, which will not touch either of the two facades: towards the main facade, a sheet of glass will separate them from it; and towards the interior façade, the stairwell will be a 4-story void that unites the entire interior and shows the surprising height of such a slender building. Thus, the project is defined, remaining to define the uses of each floor and resolve the technical issues.
Access-kitchen-dining room, living room, bathroom-dressing room, bedroom and terrace form, from bottom to top, the sequence of use. In any case, with the exception of kitchen furniture and bathroom equipment, nothing else occupies the floors, so that their uses can be reversed over time or need, as well as turning the floors into working spaces.

The presence of the installations, by ruling out grooves in the walls or small wells from the beginning, take on a special and relevant role inside: 7 stainless steel cylinders run the entire height of the building, conducting all the electrical, ventilation, plumbing, extraction, sanitation, air conditioning and telecommunications installations inside 6 of the cylinders, leaving one of them empty for future needs. These cylinders are not hidden and run through the building through furniture and floors. The rest of the installations are always visible, never built-in, highlighting the roughness of the masonry walls on which they are located, freeing them from new servitudes.
In terms of materiality, a certain refinement has been pursued in the new elements to be implemented, in opposition to the crude expressiveness of the existing walls, conscious that the space must house a home. Thus, the kitchen is a frosted brass piece of furniture, shiny and with reflections, with a white marble top; the bathroom equipment is paneled with lacquered wood in a slightly cream color, with black and brass details; the 'headboards' of the floors are covered in white microcement; the hydraulic mosaic, microcement and oak floors add warmth and color to the interior; and the lacquered wood ceilings incorporate registers and grids to 'design' these needs.
The structure is all painted white, in search of a certain material abstraction, especially in the development of the spiral staircase, which is developed as a free-standing cylinder that runs the entire height of the building without touching its walls at any time, offering Piranesian views helped by the heterogeneity of the walls and the diversity of points of view.
On the contrary, all the details on the existing walls are direct and raw: the window frames are made with direct mortar, the pre-frames are not concealed, and the structural elements of ties are left unpolished.
Above, on top of the stairwell, a skylight introduces a beautiful gradation of light until the lowest strata; towards the façade, the glass sheets bounce the lighting between floors and introduce ever-changing reflections, allowing the façade to be admired at its full height from the inside, just as it happens in the void of the staircase.
The main façade was rehabilitated following the strict dictates of the heritage department, returning it to an image of the past that it surely never had. Only at the entrance door were we free to invent a front that reproduces the three-dimensional design of the classic hydraulic mosaic (used on the ground floor and much loved by the client) with an exploded view of rhombuses and triangles finished with 3 types of aluminum, which conceals the door (only recognizable by the lock) and abstracts the entrance.

Designer: Raúl Sánchez

Raúl Sánchez graduated architect from the architecture school in Granada, Spain. Since 2005 resides and works in Barcelona developing a professional activity which escapes specialization in order to cover all types of work and projects related to architecture, interiorism and design.
He is professor in ‘private perimeters’, a postgraduate diploma in interior design in Elisava School of Design, Barcelona.
The work of the office has numerous awards and is published worlwide in printed and online media.
Our approach to architecture and design is based on the encounter of humanism+technique: the former relies on the world of ideas, on the conceptual and cultural focus, while the latter brings the constructive coherence, the grammar, into the equation.
We don’t work with methods, we use no preconceived formulas, we just work with the space, and the space is the conjunction of material, construction, structure, light, color, texture… and thus, each new project is a new challenge

Old Summer Palace One
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The project is located 800 meters to the north of The Old Summer Palace in Beijing, in the core area of the Three Mountains and Five Gardens and Haidian Silicon Valley. To the north is zhongguancun, Shangdi, Yongfeng, Cuihu and other science and innovation parks, overlooking China's science and innovation Silicon Valley. To the south are the Old Summer Palace, the Summer Palace and the campuses of Peking University and Tsinghua University. Rare cultural and technological collision and integration here, from entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs to life, talent home vein, build a better life.
The project is a new Chinese mansion style, covering an area of 61,000 square meters, with a total construction area of 120,000 square meters, with a floor area ratio of 1.1. It is a pure foreign house and villa community with 4-5 floors, with a main area of 235-290 square meters for five bedrooms and a small amount of 196 square meters for four bedrooms.
The original intention of Old Summer Palace One is to build a house for a square mountain garden, which is the respect and respect for the century-old Mountain garden in Beijing Haidian District. It is really implemented in the design process of site selection, shaping, gardening and building. Therefore, from every detail of eaves, curtain, garden, courtyard, hall, hall, porch and bedroom, you will see the tacit understanding and architectural meaning of century-old mountain garden flowing in the land, culture and architecture.
From the architect's point of view, truly successful architecture often creates a new sense of ritual in its interaction with the natural environment. The traditional Chinese architectural form -- the shape of a bird spreading its wings, light and active roof ridge and cornices are the unique vocabulary of Chinese architecture. The upturned corner of the roof not only expands the lighting surface, but also helps to discharge rainwater, adding upward movement to the building and creating the unique flying and brisk charm of Chinese architecture.

PROJECT

DESCRIPTION


In the facade design of Old Summer Palace One, the floating roof can be said to be the originality of nature. The low density land quality of 1:1 plot ratio makes Old Summer Palace One, which has strict height limit, look like being in a natural garden, surrounded by forests and lush trees at all times. Therefore, how to make the building stand out in the natural enclosure of forests of three hills and five gardens has become the core proposition of the designer.
Fortunately, the designer found the elegant and light Chinese roof in the painting Of Crane thousands of years ago. Therefore, on the basis of referring to the technical regulations of roof design in traditional Chinese ancient architecture books such as "Building French", the shape and structure of the roof of Old Summer Palace One are carefully carved. At the same time, modern materials such as stone and glass are used to build a transparent, elegant and thick building volume, which is very light to lift the roof. The whole roof presents a beautiful floating posture on the forest, successfully creating a bright, elegant and warm homecoming scenery for the owner.
In the design of the living room, the extreme wide, short and deep is one of the biggest highlights of Old Summer Palace One. Compared with other super high-end residential improvement, the maximum width of the main apartment of 235-290 square meters is 20.9m, the minimum is 19.2m, and the ratio of width to depth is 1.5, which is rare. It can completely match the works of international first-line mansions, and the indoor owners are truly integrated with the outdoor mountain garden.
This unique experience in 290 ㎡ side hall door model the perfection, in without block vision, nearly 70 ㎡ with 270 degrees of corner side hall, indoor table side hall, Chinese and western social eat hutch line configuration, the sun the wind uninvited, free flowing, and outdoor natural zero distance connection, realize the mountain to see the homes, and, behold, the heavens and the earth.
Architecture is a solidified poem on the land, and the land is the gene for the sustainable growth of architecture. Therefore, the deeper the understanding of the land, the more perfect the architecture will be. As a masterpiece of 40 years of ingenuity, it is impossible to find a Old Summer Palace One. From the dimensions of architecture, garden, house type, science and technology system, all-round construction of living aesthetics: from the color, material, size and so on, fine cut each detail of eaves screen, so that the mountain garden in Old Summer Palace One presents elegant, dignified, coagulate natural beauty; By elaborating the traditional techniques of yuanming Garden, we focus on creating each scene of gardens, courtyards, sketches and water systems, so that the craftsmanship of 40 years will shine brightly in each part of Old Summer Palace One ode and build a beautiful life.

Agency:  GOA (Group of Architects )

As a large design organization with premium architectural quality as its ultimate mission, GOA provides customers with highly reliable and integrated professional services. The Company currently boasts a pool of more than 800 professionals and sets up offices in Hangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing and Nanjing, forming a full-profession system covering urban design, architectural creation, engineering design, and management consulting. With irreplaceable pioneering advantages in such fields as high-rise buildings, hotels, urban mansions, sci-tech parks, and characteristic towns, GOA is also one of the first private design organizations that obtain the national class-A qualification in construction engineering.
Since its foundation in 1998, GOA has always adhered to a principal-centered working mode. Bolstered by a powerful operative platform, more than 30 principals and their professional teams are closely connected through three systems, i.e. Project Manager, Design Manger and Engineering Manager to dig into the whole-process quality control of each project. With a deep insight into customers’ value demands at multiple levels and being good at combining international vision with local conditions, GOA not only provides systematic design solutions, but also efficiently integrates top-notch expert resources worldwide, with a view to provide customers with highly diversified and well-processed works.
A rigorous, objective, diversified and open corporate culture is the brand gene of GOA that provides professionals with attractive work environment and remuneration, cares about and supports the independent growth of outstanding talents, and constantly creates an innovation atmosphere of interdisciplinary cooperation. By dint of its unique vitality, GOA is devoted to providing every employee with a platform to practice and fulfill dreams.

ChaoYang City Villa
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PROJECT

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ChaoYang City Villa is located in a very leading ecological area of Beijing, the west bank of Wenyu River and on the shore of a 400-acre. Around the project, there are many international schools and resort hotels. It is a boutique residential area with leading ecology, a high-end lifestyle, and convenient transportation.

The project covers 3.89 hectares, with a land scale of 50,000 square meters and a limited height of 18 meters. The overall layout follows the concept of ‘respecting nature, being ahead of time, and being homogeneous’, emphasizing the rational organization and exquisite layout of green landscapes, and a one-of-a-kind space design so that many residents can experience the natural scenery directly through the window in order to live in a high-end livelihood. Inside the base, the path for people and vehicles is divided, there are two vehicle entrances and exits and two basement entrances in the north and south of the community, and an entrance for both people and vehicles in the east. At the same time, the landscape of Wenyu Riverside Park is introduced into the City Villa, opening up the city view and beautiful scenery with tall and tidy tree arrays, greening plaza, also forming a warm and dynamic community environment. The interior landscape is developed based on the pedestrian space, creating a series of green landscapes, activity spaces with different characteristics, echoing landscapes with residential buildings, forming networked, multi-level green lands, presenting a fusion of tradition and modernized spiritual city for us.

The building layout is mainly oriented to north-south, and the building type is mainly the pursuit of spaciousness, so as to have more interaction with nature, sunlight, and air. The living room, bedroom, and kitchen own natural lighting, with natural indoor ventilation from north to south. Reasonably organize and arrange the functional behavior spaces to achieve separation of food and bedding, separation of living and sleeping, separation of public and private, and form dynamic and quiet areas to improve comfort.
The new Chinese architectural style translates the elements of traditional Chinese culture into the modern design so that it fully expresses and combines the massiness feeling of traditional architecture with the lightness and delicacy of modern architecture. The refined and pure traditional Chinese elements and the large overhanging eaves in horizontal rhythm bring the continuation of the traditional city of Beijing. Besides, it fully considers the needs and aesthetics of modern life by the designing of a large area of open windows and many delicate details. Champagne gold profiles and other materials are used to make the building present an elegant and noble sense of quality.

Agency: SUNLAY

Founded in 1994, SUNLAY is a comprehensive design enterprise with Grade A design qualification for architectural engineering and Grade B qualification for urban and rural planning. It is headquartered in Beijing, with branches in Shanghai, Wuhan, and an office in Seattle. The SUNLAY team consisting of nearly 500 employees has a broad international vision, excellent design capabilities, and mature engineering experience, emphasizing creative solutions and professional services, focusing on urban regeneration, mixed-use, industrial office, boutiques, commercials, entertainment, tourism and vacation, culture and education, health care, to provide a full range of services including planning, layout, architecture, landscape, interior, structure, electromechanical and sustainable design.
SUNLAY adheres to the corporate philosophy of design makes the world a better place, with the mission of achieving customers and achieving dreams, advocating the core values of quality first, infinite design, and adhering to the vision of self-improvement, co-creation, and sharing. It becomes the most valuable industry leader through the four-level core competitiveness of professionalism, innovation, integration, and scale.

Best of Residential Building

Enping Greenland Golden Town
PROJECT

DESCRIPTION


The project is located on the north bank of Qingnan Corner Reservoir, Quanlin Golden Town, Enping City, Guangdong Province, surrounded by green mountains and rivers. It is adjacent to the historical gold panning relics and adjacent to the Enping Station of Shenmao High Speed Railway. A public building that integrates services, office meetings, and leisure negotiations, to create a future technology integrated thematic experience center with unique aesthetic attributes. The first floor is the sales office, and the second floor is the Feng Ru cultural flight theme experience hall.
Enping is the hometown of Feng Ru, Chinese first aircraft designer, manufacturer, aviator, and the father of Chinese aviation. Feng Ru’s flying dream took off from Enping and flew in the long sky of history. It would be an opportunity and a cultural foundation of Guangdong Aviation Science Education Base if we build in Enping.
The overall shape of the building draws on the unique shape of the alien spacecraft, combined with the specific location of the project and the surrounding environment, we develop the architectural plan with the story line of aliens’ visit.
The site located in mountainous which has a large height difference. In order to highlight the landmark of the demonstration area and create a new landmark, we placed the demonstration area at the southernmost hilltop of No. 8, with the most beautiful natural scenery of the city, an overlook the Qingnan Corner Reservoir in the south. And we show the city of the sky by combining with the Reservoir, as if it floats in the mountains and rivers.
The overall shape of the building is like a flying saucer. The whole building is born out of the sky with its light and agile, unique shape like a spaceship. During the day, it looks like a "time and space shuttle" and a "sea-shell of art"; at night, it is dreamy and blurred, like a "floating mountain forest". Like the "Enzhou Strange Stone" in the deep mountains and old forests, the building takes the mountain as the background, and the planning of traditional Chinese city. The soft building shape is integrated into the mountain, and the mountain is organically combined and blended in form. The relationship between the building and the environment is oily. At the beginning of the architectural design, we tried to use symbolic architectural language to establish a connection with the historical environment. we imagined a mysterious flying saucer that quietly came to this colorful Earth, standing on the north bank foothills of the Qingnan Corner Reservoir. With the gradual unfolding of the architectural space narrative, the construction meaning of this project has also quietly produced a metaphorical ambiguity. The shape of the "flying saucer" in the center implies a forward-looking, high-spirited heroic spirit, marking a great era and a beautiful vision for the future.
A sightseeing corridor is set on the first floor of the "flying saucer", and the other end is connected to a vertical sightseeing elevator, just like a time tunnel for aliens to reach the earth.
Each floor of the exhibition center adopts a full glass screen structure, so we can enjoy the first-line waterscape at everywhere of each floor.
In the space display of the building, each floor has a different natural picture presented in front of people, the sky, the connect of the water and the sky, and the water mirror. Using the purest white, illusion of light in space simulates the refraction of the blurred light in outer space, awakening people's desire for the unknown universe.
Architectural function and architectural form fit: the first floor and mezzanine are the sales office, the first floor is the reception and talk area, the mezzanine is combined with the lighting dome on the top of the building to set up a sandboard area, and the two are connected by an arc-shaped landscape staircase;
The second floor is a large aerospace exhibition experience space, which contains simulated flight classrooms, aircraft carrier formation exhibition halls, flight experience, 737 simulator experience cabins, etc., to provide visitors with popular science knowledge.

HZS DESIGN (SHANGHAI), LTD.