The old and the new of Ansan Hotel is the alternation of two generations and their thinking concept. It reflects the change of the city. Time changes everything, but nothing will disappear. It just reappears in another carrier or form.

01  Symbolic + Visual recognition

In different historical periods and regions, the forms and functions of buildings reflect the cultural characteristics and values of the society at that time. When cities start to find their positioning and continue to strengthen their features and build city brands, the buildings and landscapes in cities can only form strong enough memory points if they follow this trend. From the design perspective, unified and repeatable design elements and spatial features can develop a symbolic language together. A building is not only a physical object but also a cultural symbol.

With this symbolic language in mind, WJ STUDIO put into the design of Shaoxing Ansan Hotel. We proposed a renovation plan with the concept of symbolization, hoping that in addition to the renovation of the hotel’s interior, the exterior facade and landscape of the hotel will be renovated so that the exterior form, material and colour of the building will convey the regional characteristics and urban culture of Keqiao.

At the same time, we transformed the social attributes of the hotel into a design approach, using the public areas of the hotel as a basis to provide a small social place for hotel residents and young people in the surrounding community to interact and provide a shared space for people in a wider area on the online platform. The two design objectives of symbolization and communalization are enhanced to the level of conceptual design, which drives the development of the whole project and eventually improves the hotel’s brand identity.

02 Public+Dialogue

Located in the ancient town of Keqiao, Shaoxing, the original building before the renovation was a business hotel built ten years ago, with no regional or brand identity along the street facade – the first-floor facade was rented to local merchants, the entrance facade was all transparent glass, and the lobby had only a check-in front desk. At the same time, the upstairs rooms and air conditioning units did not leave any impression.Such buildings, which flourished with the massive demand for business travel generated by the century’s rapid economic development, are scattered throughout cities in China but are now hidden in the background of the urban interface.

The considerations of architectural form start with the interface along the street. One side of the building is covered with metal mesh, creating a sheer volume that echoes the horizontal lines of the light strips.

In the first floor’s design, the entrance space along the street is set back inward to create a strong guiding and welcoming gesture, and together with the adjacent restaurant, they form a complete sense of a window, creating a dialogue with the city outside.The metal on the ceiling forms an understated, luxurious quality, and the soft lighting creates a cinematic atmosphere for the entire restaurant space. The outermost metal rods resemble a few sparse bamboos, projecting the hovering bamboo shadows and the warmth of Jiangnan into the interior space.

The design uses a reinvention of indoor and outdoor spaces, public and private, to create a sense of freshness while respecting the original site and to refresh guests who are tired of urban business hotels and desire a different spatial experience.

03 Young+Social

On the first floor, the hotel’s lobby and restaurant are boldly decorated with orange roofing and the LED lighting in the background of the front desk, creating a solid colour tension and reminding guests of the hotel’s young, trendy brand culture.We designed a comon space for travellers on the second floor, consisting of two relatively private and quiet game rooms and a spacious public lounge area that can be used to provide entertainment after work or travel or to enjoy the city streetscape from the window.

Those who gather here can have fun and have their own “boundaries” in a strange crowd. It is a small social place where people can enjoy their freedom and interact with the community simultaneously. The community-oriented event space will enrich the overall experience of the traveller.Like the restaurant on the same floor, the continuous floor-to-ceiling windows of the second-floor lounge area reveal a gesture of communication and dialogue with the city. Shade and city views are reflected inside, while people passing through the city can look up and see a splash of red on the ceiling of the lounge area. With a bit of transcendence, the lively and the silent can mingle.

04 Leisure+Art

The designer wanted to shape the unique living experience of the city hotel through symbolic spatial elements. The guest rooms are designed with dark walnut and beige fabrics to create a relaxing, home-like feeling for the residents.The embellished brass elements not only enhance the artistry and beauty of the space, bring a business-like atmosphere and a relaxed and comfortable home feeling to the guest rooms, but also continue the design language of the hotel’s public space to a certain extent.

Ansan Hotel’s design takes symbolic language as the concept, transforming the building’s form, material, color, and interior space to create a personal yet detached, blurred yet clear boundary for the travelers in the urban business hotel. This community space becomes part of the customer’s experience and is finally immersed in the brand story.

Ningbo Lohas Park is situated on the shores of Sun Lake, boasting exceptional landscape conditions. Surrounded by a multitude of residential complexes and cultural and commercial projects, it benefits from a cluster of industries.

The design concept revolves around the idea of a “Pixel Forest” and “Spatial Stacking.” It incorporates various entertainment and leisure modules into the site while maximizing the advantages of the landscape. The aim is to create a one-stop team-building and vacation destination that leads the trend, offering comprehensive functions such as team-building activities, gatherings, entertainment, and hotel accommodations.

Given the unique background and site context, the Academician Center is situated on the abandoned campus of a former Normal College. It serves multiple functions, including research, innovation, and exchange for academicians, all while maintaining a high level of quality, standards, and positioning as an “intellectual hub.”

The project is in close proximity to the Taogong Lecture Hall and Taogong Village, serving as crucial transitional zones between the two. This location enjoys an exceptional geographical advantage. As a complementary accommodation facility to the East and West office buildings, the two facilities share resources and operate synergistically.

To address the dual-purpose requirements of the Academician Center’s apartment amenities and its potential operation as a boutique hotel, the design focuses on scene reconfiguration and spatial restructuring. This involves optimizing circulation routes on the site, creating connections with surrounding functions, and catering to cultural, leisure, and wellness needs.

The Yinwan Village is located on the northern shore of Dongqian Lake and has a history dating back to the Song Dynasty. As recorded in the “Yinxian County Records,” it was described as a place where fishermen used to gather, their boats docking by the shore. During hazy nights with no moonlight, there were flickering fishing fires and fishermen’s songs. This was known as one of the “Ten Scenic Views of Qian Lake,” the “Yinwan Fishing Fires.”

The project is situated at the entrance of this village, which boasts a history of seven centuries and has close ties with the local community. It serves as a social hub for daily gatherings among villagers and holds a significant place in the village’s cultural heritage.

Drawing inspiration from the local culture, the design extracts distinctive architectural features from the area and translates them into a design language, with “fishing boats” and “lake water” as key elements. The goal is to create a destination-style resort hotel in Yinwan Ancient Village, integrating the experience of “fishing fires” to craft imaginative and immersive spatial environments.

The most beautiful thing is to be in a chance encounter in the landscape.

A river on a rainy day in Jiangnan is a dreamy scene – swaying and listening to the rain, waking up to catch the light, and walking slightly and elegantly. However, the most unforgettable memories, but often hidden in that invisible scenery.

In the village of Shanwan in Wujiang District, Suzhou, the tranquillity of the idyllic town, the quiet expanse of the river and the historical culture blend. The Boatyard Hotel is located in this languid spatial landscape. WJ STUDIO is to give its indoor space rhyme and spatio-temporal experience. When people come to this place longing for the idyllic scenery of the water village, they do not know that they have already become a member of this scenery.

01 Dialogue of time and space

Proper architecture grows naturally, logically and poetically in its environment.

— Louis Sullivan

A three-dimensional space embraces things growing, evolving, and intersecting while time moves forward like a river. The images one captures in each moment are instantaneous landscapes – nature, fields, light and artificial design meet at the intersection of space and time.

A Settlement in Time and Space

The hotel building is integrated with the surrounding natural landscape. The high and low arched roofs form a colony, just like the ships docked on the waterfront of the rising mountains.

When you turn around and enter, a slightly arched trestle bridge and a crow-top boat are moored on the side. The light pours down from the dome’s skylight on a sunny day and is etched on the stone slab with time.If it rains, the water droplets keep falling on the canopy, and the scenic rocks and Jiangnan’s unique sound and colour are revealed in this area alone.

Glory of Memory

After passing the bridge, the large floor-to-ceiling windows open up the view.

A bench with a carefully recessed water pattern invites visitors to sit and watch. The circular outline is like sitting in a boat and looking out. The island is deliberately hidden in a dark place opposite the window, which can be found by looking back when needed. It is always unobtrusive and undisturbed, giving way to natural elegance.

When people Stroll along the promenade, the corridor is a place for relaxation and a coffee and book bar. Like a long scroll, the horizontal space and the arching roof take in the riverbank scenery one by one.

Corbusier’s “Mother’s House” is the ending at the end of the space. The similar overlooking bay window, river, lake and sea, and the overflowing light and shadow are intertwined in time and space at this moment.

02 Peaceful Dwelling

The spring water is blue in the sky, and the painted boat listens to the rain and sleeps.

–Wei Zhuang, Pu Sa Man

When you live in nature, you are connected to the earth, and your heart will be at peace and calm with the wind of the field. Just as the artistic creation of the “docked boat” in the hotel expresses a semi-submerged state – may everyone who arrives here no longer wander and dwell in peace.

Within the Sequence

From the courtyard to the bedroom to the collection, the space progresses from outside to inside and from inside to out.

The room facing the riverbank offers a panoramic view of the waterfront. All this breaks the traditional spatial axis, not coherently, but in a leaping way.

Under the Dome

The guest room area from the first floor to the second floor is like the climax of a journey, guiding the occupants upward with great interest. Light enters the reserved slits, creating a “line of sight” to the interior.

The guest rooms on the second floor retain their high vaulted ceilings, buffered by a foyer, and then have a horizontal opening to the room layout. The tall and wide floor-to-ceiling windows are enough to incorporate the outdoor scenery into the interior.

Life is like a long boat, going for daily life and desire; love is the way back. At this moment, “the day on the boat” is to return to the essence of living and the deep meaning of the journey.

The Sky Courtyard, Independent Villa On TOD

Home is one of the primary ways of human existence. It is not only the place where we live but also the bearer of our emotions, culture and history. We understand the past, present and future and pursue the meaning and value of life through home.

01 Sky and Earth Boundless Hidden in Independent Courtyard

People not only want to keep a sense of transparency between nature but also at home.

Located in Xiaoshan, Hangzhou, the Vanke Model Room Project connects the city and nature with a sky courtyard, seeking nature and comfort in the abundance of materials and tranquillity in the modern living experience.

The project is cleverly combined with the TOD urban complex to solve the contradiction that people often face when choosing a living style, which provides not only spacious natural landscapes and modern, comfortable living spaces for residents but also provides complete supporting facilities to meet the needs of modern life and create an ideal living state of “going out into the world without leaving the world”.

02 Peace of Mind

Stepping into the entrance from the north courtyard, the 4.9m high open and spacious living room breaks the conventional fixed layout of residential buildings.

The TV is no longer the core of the living room but is replaced by the courtyard, nature and sky. Sit casually on the sofa or antique single chair; the oversized floor-to-ceiling windows constantly invite the entry of nature and sunlight. Whether it is a family gathering or social reception, the living room can become the most active and diverse common space.

When the light falls on the main background wall above the fireplace, time is also imprinted. The stone sculpture wall and rice paper lamp, the hard and coarse grain and the soft and gentle materials are connected by the injected light, together creating a leisurely and comfortable place.

The dining room and kitchen are integrated into the design, making the kitchen no longer an isolated, enclosed space but combining the island counter and dining table to expand into a social venue for communication, sharing and banquet hosting, giving the space more complexity and possibility.

The south-facing study is enclosed by two 90-degree floor-to-ceiling glass and walls. Whether sitting, standing, observing or creating, the transparent view and lighting can bring the user endless inspiration and thoughts.

03 Back to Simple Happiness

Stepping into the sunken master bedroom, the gentle breeze lifts the curtains, just level with the courtyard view. Continuing the design concept of the living room, the TV background wall of the master bedroom is replaced by the vibrant inner courtyard. Waiting for a beam of appropriate light to spill from the treetops, privacy, breathability and natural force coexist, creating a comfortable and natural back to the simple happy living island.

The stairs behind the living room extend upwards, changing from warm marble tread to simple wooden decoration.

The limited second-floor space is fully and ingeniously planned as a secondary bedroom and bathroom through design. After the corridor, the sloping roof secondary bedroom uses tatami mats as the main activity space, combined with rush mats, wooden long tables, cotton and linen bedding and tranquil warm light, presenting inhabitable, learnable and playable rich attributes—the vitality and warmth, of home, lies in this.

As an independent villa on the TOD, while providing convenient life, it must also satisfy people’s inner emotional pursuit and expression.

Therefore, leaving more plasticity for space and more possibilities for life, establishing natural accessibility for urban residents, is the brand new experience that WJ STUDIO hopes to bring to residents through the design of this model room.

In Chinese aesthetics, a beautiful space is a small pavilion on a verdant mountain or a secluded garden at the end of a noisy market. The subtle emotions in the heart of the Chinese people are filled with color and more importantly with the sustenance of the world.

01

The Origin of the Project

Through the screen, people’s spirit and life are gradually filled with fragmented information. This rhythm of urban life seems to have been used to by everyone, and it also starts to make us think about what is the ideal living. It may be in nature, or in the countryside, or in our moments with ourselves or those close to us.

WJ STUDIO recently completed the design for the clubhouse of Shanghai Aroma Town. From the perspective of differentiating existing resort products, the design incorporates thematic social and natural elements into the imagination of holiday life. It introduces the intention of flowers and the concept of idyllic living to create an ideal living and experiencing space for this resort area in the southern suburbs, which also responds to the two needs of holidays and living in the region.

02

A Triple Space: From Extensive to Private

As a relatively dynamic clubhouse and experiential area of the town, the designers have divided the space into aromatic regions with a focus on ‘flowers’ and experiences, a ‘tea’-themed social living room for meetings and socialising, and a ‘food’-themed private dining room. The three different spatial areas are unified in the same system by their interconnected moving lines, and extend to their respective courtyards.

The three levels of space are progressive, and the design elements are always an overlay of the three dimensions of ‘primordial natural attributes’, ‘cyclical and living’ and ‘the experience of a natural state of growth.

The aromatic area corresponds to the broader natural environment and is a public and extensive space; the social living room is smaller in scope but also belongs to the public domain, and the private dining room is the most personal expression of this sequence of spaces. These elements permeate the private environment from the broad through the public domain: the same natural elements play different roles in different upholstery styles and scenarios.

“Tea” – Social Living Room

Chinese people say tea to meet friends, drinking tea is the traditional literati communication and leisure time of the main activity. As a space for rest, socialising, and transition, the social living room area takes Chinese Zen-style brush painting as its initial intention, and the overall design style is elegant and quiet, realising the leisure and contentment of the spiritual dimension of consciousness.

The interior ceiling is simplified with a Chinese sloping roof as a prototype, echoing the theme of Zen. Wood is also used as the primary material. Unlike the dialogue and use of natural elements in the display area, the natural elements in the social living room are mainly through the floor-to-ceiling windows to achieve the intersection of human and natural sight lines.

Still, the material’s colour is slightly darker than the aromatic display area, reproducing the colour trend in traditional Chinese culture, and the space as a whole is more formal and tranquil.

Exquisite utensils contain the sense of ritual that users pursue in their lives，In the furnishings and other details, some natural intent is  incorporated, combined with the selection of low stools and bar tables, amplifying the Zen atmosphere of the space and increasing the possibility of people interacting here.

“Flower” – Aromatic Display and Experience

The design creates a comfortable display and experience area with clean lines and a smooth combination of spaces. The materials chosen are mostly light wood colours, using warm wood colours to emphasise the experience, bringing a more intimate and comfortable feeling and allowing the subject to achieve a state of mental relaxation in this series of spaces.

The mix of wood colours with glass and the metal of the incense-making machines adds an extra dimension of human and natural harmony to the room.

The mix of woods, combined with the addition of ceiling flowers to the interior fittings, also emphasises the herbaceous feel of the space. The choice of furniture is also based on artisanal pieces, reinforcing this ambience.

In the aromatic experience area, travertine is added to bring a touch of calmness and relaxation with the clash of wood.

The Spa area and guest rooms use a darker colour palette and light and shadow effects to provide a comfortable place for guests to rest and recuperate. The design of the aromatic showcase attempts to convey a sense of escapism, holiday, garden and relaxation to the outside world.

“Food” – Private Dining

The Private Dining Room continues the elegant feel of the previous space, with a dark wood base and echoing materials to create a natural, intimate, open, and quiet private area.

The tea room in this area is designed to highlight the concept of leisurely tea drinking in the woods, creating a gathering scene of ‘three or two friends drinking together. Both indoors and outdoors, with as much direct contact as possible with the natural landscape, the modern interpretation of the ancient Chinese theme of privacy and nature also illustrates the designers’ consideration of the proposition of ‘integrating natural elements into the most private of spaces.

03

“Relaxing in Nature”

As a kind of holiday and leisure intention, flowers always appear as the main or supporting character in holiday and leisure places. The Aroma Town project is based on the theme of flowers and holidays. It is also hoped that the designer’s perception and expression of leisure space can be conveyed more vividly from vision to smell through flowers and their derivation.

Unlike the instant pleasure that a paradise brings visitors, The Aroma Town wants to create a life-like scene, a natural intention closer to life, representing tranquility and leisure, a place for living. And it is a place of rest and recovery for people living in a fast-paced city for a long time—a place of respite.

The focus of space is gradually shifting from the floral nature of the aromatic displays to the users. It also implicitly shows that the overall design process slowly infiltrates spirit from the vast domain into the private territory through the spaces.

01 Design thinking based on the business world

Yiwu is located in Zhejiang Province, the geographical centre of Hangzhou, Ningbo and Jinhua, with intensive exchanges with other cities in Zhejiang. EQUATOR PEAK COFFEE is in the centre of Yiwu, with easy access to the city and a riverside view. It is close to Wanda Plaza and high-end residential areas, with a stable audience with a certain level of purchasing power.The architect tries to present and explore the relationship between the building and the city through the visual extension.As a downtown area with a high level of commercial traffic, it also seems to be in desperate need of a little respite, a place to stop and rest, relax and chat with others, or take a shallow moment of leisure amid the bustling city.

02 About coffee ： a medium of interaction ,between interior and exterior

In the past, our impression of coffee shops seemed stuck in the following two stages: the earliest buy-it-and-go pure coffee sales, or the coffee-based lifestyle, as exemplified by Starbucks. These two models, whether in operation methods or interior design, both emphasise the private sphere to a greater or lesser extent. They are highly inward-looking and private to consumers.What EQUATOR PEAK COFFEE wants to create is a new type of social cafe, perhaps to reflect the growing need for social interaction or perhaps to project this need into the design of the space.Lefebvre considered the concept of space dialectically, as both objective and subjective, subservient to its physical characteristics and derived from the social properties of its use.Interestingly, the ‘café’ is seen as a social medium, expanding from the interior to the exterior, transforming from inward to outward-looking. The design is also a metaphor for the increasing social demands of society, with coffee or coffee shops now becoming a figurative expression of social interaction.

03 The extension and integration of space,are reflected in the materials

As for the selection of materials, the architect tries to minimise the design language to maximise the visual effect from the interior to the exterior.The overall design is dominated by red and white. The flooring and most interior walls are made of red brick, wood and stone, allowing the space to form a material sensory unity that extends from the inside to the outside.The façade, on the other hand, is more of a white interface. The warm red and wood colours give a sense of envelopment. At the same time, the large areas of white provide a sense of spaciousness. These two colours illustrate the different spatial experiences intended for the interior and exterior.It is worth noting that mirrors are also used in the interior, with the built-in mirrors mapping the outdoor scenes, creating a ‘juxtaposition’ between the interior and the exterior, which undoubtedly strengthens the connection between the interior and exterior spaces and visually blends the two perceptions.

04 The external gesture of the façade

As a street-level commercial development, especially one facing a busy urban artery, the treatment of the façade reflects some extent, the external attitude of the design.The façade is divided vertically in a 1:1 ratio, with the ground floor façade being clean and simple, with the first floor sharpening its permeability through large areas of floor-to-ceiling glass, thus creating a contrast between material and reality while mapping the surroundings onto the glass.The design demonstrates an inclusive gesture independent of its surroundings and the building but simultaneously tries to embrace and integrate it.The upward folding windows create an outwardly communicative street vending experience, which, combined with the open outdoor dining terrace, subtly creates a resort-like atmosphere.

05  Design for a ‘camping’ experience

From the interior to the exterior, from the space to the façade, the architects have actively expanded their approach to coffee operations and sales, returning the focus from the spatial and commercial past to the original consumer experience.They have attempted to visualise “a book and a cup of coffee in the sun” in the design of the space, trying to create a “camping” atmosphere. In their view, coffee should be like camping, where people who know or don’t know each other can communicate and have conversations, a new mode of interaction.Suppose social media is seen as a medium for socialising freely online. Can the inclusive and open café-like business also be a medium for mixing offline? It seems that “strangers and acquaintances alike can come here to socialise” is an ideal and beautiful hope. With the E Café project in practice, this new mode of operation and social relationship may not be far away.

The meaning of the modern office no longer lies in a single solution to the problem of collaborative work; Cloud Land Bussiness Center is, as its name suggests, we hope to create a space that communicates with nature and people. No matter what kind of design, in the end, it will return to people and nature, and the original point is the only way to bring everything back to the best state.

——Zhang Jiliang

Vice President of Greentown China

In 1974, in The Production of Space, Lefebvre mentioned the “perceived space” of the general public, the “conceived space” of designers, and the “lived space” of residences. “The Production of Space refers to the perceived space of the general public, the conceived space of designers, and the lived space of citizens. He defines space as a social construction based on values and social meanings.

The reflection on the social meaning of space has deeply influenced the evolution of office space design prototypes. Especially in recent years, companies have emphasised shared spaces, garden offices, and leisure packages to meet the contemporary demand for flexibility, collaboration, and efficiency in work life. On the other hand, the increased leisure and spiritual needs of the younger generation of workers for their work areas likewise require designers to demonstrate the shared spirit of the public regions through the implantation of multiple functional and cultural elements. The social construction of space is included in the process of design thinking. 

It all starts from The Garden.

The main entrance is located in the landscape view corridor. In the initial thinking, The designer hoped to find an interior aesthetic style suitable for a modern office or how to reflect the form of a modern office. Finally, the designer thought to design a continuation of the natural space so that the static garden becomes the core spiritual support of the space, in addition to the function is also an aesthetic expression of the design thinking. To create a place where people can rest spiritually.

Spring

The users of modern office space have gradually diversified from simple workers and clients. More functional modules need to be implanted into this space, forming a “third space” outside of work and leisure in response to the single state of accommodating the old work-life.

Autumn

The garden is not just a space to look at

It allows you to go inside

It is like something that one instinctively touches

Like a familiar road

you may have never been there before

but you can still find the direction

It is also an unintentional design form

very intentional to make unintentional sense

although the two kinds of “unintentional” are different

For the relationship between the two

both are about feeling the inner world

when you can feel the relationship between the space and yourself

Even if it’s just for a moment, it’s the best experience

What could be more impressive than a touching moment

Style: It is not from a specific shape but a free, caring formality for the inner world.

Nature- To hide the artificial.

Silence – Away from the clutter and congestion of work-life, silent embodiment of daily life.

Simple – Uncomplicated, minimalist and straightforward beauty.

Invisible – What is behind the hidden glow is the space with depth and imagination.

Life is a very important thing.

House of the Mountains: One Side of the Mountains, One Side of the Life

Throughout the 30-year history of commercial housing development in China, ‘home’ has been seen not as a fixed and unchangeable concept but as a social-spatial unit constantly being constructed. The spatial imagery and perception of ‘home’, and the resulting functional identity of comfortable space, the social identity of elite space and the emotional identity of family space have demanded an organic combination of leisure, social and everyday attributes of living space.

The Anji-Mu Yungu-Heshan Realm project is located in Angel Town in the western part of Anji County, Zhejiang Province, about 15 minutes drive from Anji Station, surrounded by mountains and an ideal natural environment, and the buildings of the whole group are mainly townhouses. Based on a thorough sorting and analysis of the target customers, WJ STUDIO has fully reflected on the construction of the living space and completed the interior design work for two types of model houses.

Living spaces outside the city require the designer to start from the user’s expectations of life, and the character and functional needs of the space need to be defined more broadly. We have redefined the space user, hoping to place a physical vehicle for the living space outside the city, incorporating work, living and collection functions and allowing the mountains and verdant hills to flood into the interior.

Lifestyle is the starting point for all scenarios.

Whereas the first home is a space that exists to meet the needs of daily life, food, clothing, shelter and transport, the second home gives a richer emotional connotation and a unique symbol to ‘home’. The second home embodies a form of travel away from modernity and the need for diversion, a regular, repetitive and cyclical way of living that demonstrates a desire for identity, emotion and authenticity. The journey of living in a second home is a process of deconstruction and reorganization of ‘home’, which, together with the initial home and the fluid space, forms a ‘home’.

The Four Hills, the Thing in Mind

In addition to practical functionalism, the second home emphasises the spiritual satisfaction of the user, using space to respond to the individual’s extremely self-conscious view of ‘things’. The earliest Chinese villas were also known as ‘Bie Shu’, the word ‘Bie’ meaning ‘the second’. The concept of a second home in ancient China was often a compound or residence built by the literati outside the beautiful mountains and forests. The cultural characteristics and spatial types embedded in traditional Chinese architecture were contained in a complete landscape poetry and painting system.

Our design concept for the second home is based on this landscape poetry and painting system.The second home is designed for the elite in the industry, who live in big cities, have specific economic power and social status, and wish to enjoy a holiday in a natural environment outside the city life.

At the same time,the architectural language and spatial design of House Type 1-1 continue the intertextual relationship between the interior and exterior of the traditional garden, with large glass openings that dissolve the boundaries between the courtyard and the interior.

The first floor spaces are organised around the large living room. The backdrop of the two-storey raised experience living and dining room continues the flamed wood of the studio, and the various functional areas are visually continued to create a sense of unity.

The breakfast counter allows the kitchen space to expand into the living-dining room, with the two spaces both separate and interconnected. A freestanding hanging fireplace creates interesting little scenes, and blinds allow natural light to penetrate the interior and allow for a continuous experience of the living spaces on the first and first floors.

The texture and weight of life are often hidden in the details. The texture of the velvet surface of the single armchair, the texture of the abstract painting on the themed wall, the warmth of the sunlight pouring into the living room, everything speaks of the state of mind of the mountain.

The first floor is an inward-facing lounge space. The design continues the choice of materials used downstairs and strengthens the heritage of the space. In the master’s bedroom, we have used the corner windows to create a transitional space that serves as a second living space for the users.

For those who drive, the first floor is the more commonly used entry space and the starting point of the spatial sequence. The sculpture beneath the stairwell hints at the artistic ambience of the entire residence.

The personal studio is placed in the basement in the most critical position. We have removed as many superfluous decorative elements as possible.The black flamed wood and beige hand-scraped lacquer set a neutral, sensible colour tone, with brilliant film and linear fixtures that give an understated warmth to the intermediate colours of the wood veneer and bronze stainless steel.

The sunken courtyard brings in diffused natural daylight, making it quiet and introspective enough. A lounge area on the negative level is integrated into the interior landscape, and an audio-visual room and family room on the mezzanine level give the ground floor space a layered feel.

A place to hide in the woods

“Hiding” is not an attempt to escape from the reality of life, but rather a better pursuit of one’s state of being, which allows for the transition and connection between life, work and society in a new way, balancing the smoke and mirrors of the city with the natural flavours of the countryside.The basement section takes on assisted living and leisure as a first home.

A curved wood veneer is used in the ceiling section of the ground floor space, allowing the viewer to continue towards the outdoor courtyard. The dark interior stone and large light fixtures bring an understated, luxurious feel to the open plan living and dining areas.

Extensive wood finishes in the first-floor bedroom create a warm, relaxed living atmosphere. The bed faces the floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing you to sleep with the stars in your eyes every day and melt into the view of nature the first minute you wake up in the morning.

In addition to the laundry room and the nanny’s room, the painting and calligraphy room on the damaging floor becomes the centre of gravity of the entire ground floor space. The warm curry carpeting neutralises the geometry of the classic modernist furniture, and the plants in the sunken courtyard make it a unique meeting place for guests.

The family room on the mezzanine uses wood veneer panels to unify the visual feel with the study’s high walls and enhance the centripetal nature of the ground floor space.

Located in the west of Hangzhou, surrounded by universities, research and industrial resources such as Zhejiang University Zijingang Campus, Hangzhou Institute of Electronic Science and Technology, Ali Cloud Headquarters and Cainiao Industrial Park, Hangzhou Vanke Yunchuang Gallium Valley R&D Center will become a new gathering place for young talents in the future. The interior design seeks to translate the modern and straightforward architectural language and the genetics of the site, which is integrated with industry, academia and research, into a series of shared, comfortable and efficient office spaces.

The concept design is inspired by the visual characteristics of gallium, an essential material in the IC industry. To meet the expectations of the young working population and entrepreneurs with an innovative and international vision for their working life, WJ STUDIO has fully integrated the plasticity, refinement, environmental protection concept and technological atmosphere in every inch of the public area interior.

The first-floor entrance is set on the east side of the building, opposite Building #1 and #3 on the site, using the building setback interface and the naturally formed ground landscape to create a reminder before the entrance. Unlike the entrance lobby design of ordinary office spaces, we did not use the stone to shape the corporate image, but rather gallium elements and corporate culture genes to suggest the entire space movement. The gallium element is green-grey when solid and silver-white when business-like. We took these two colours as the starting point for the overall concept design and combined the high melting point and malleability of gallium with the design language.

The main lobby is the first space after entering the building, and the theme colour of Crop Valley, blue, was chosen as the base colour. After integrating and coordinating with the wall and furniture colours, Prussian blue with a green-grey tone was selected as the theme wall colour.

The other walls in the lobby are mainly made of corrugated metal profiles and copper-like stainless steel. The simple lines and large areas of colour paving emphasise the spatial integrity of the main lobby, alluding to the easy extension of gallium elements. The corrugated metal form allows the light and shade to change, creating a light and airy feeling and comfortable, professional and elegant space.

The back wall of the lounge area uses polished concrete to retain the essential texture of the construction, complementing the design of the light grey stone floor and the stylised surface of the walls.

The marble-textured carpet defines a lounge area in the expansive lobby, bringing the scale of the whole space back to the human body. The geometric forms and weight of the bespoke furniture shift the visual focus of the space downwards, and the thematic colours and accents of leather and suede fabrics bring a richer dimension to the lobby space.

In the connecting part of the lobby into the lift lobby, which naturally forms a visual transition area, we have used the location of the dual nodes of spatial scale and flow to set up a simple installation landscape. The yellow-green acrylic contrasts with the theme colour in a homogenous way, activating the relationship between the lobby and the lift lobby at the same time.

In the connecting part of the lobby into the lift lobby, which naturally forms a visual transition area, we have used the location of the dual nodes of spatial scale and flow to set up a simple installation landscape. The yellow-green acrylic contrasts with the theme colour in a homogenous way, activating the relationship between the lobby and the lift lobby at the same time.

The design of the lift lobby continues the theme of colour guiding the whole space, with Prussian blue used in the ceiling and wall decoration to harmonise the texture of the light grey stone on the walls and floor. This design language is also used in the corridor design on the standard floor, where the luminous film along the ceiling in the theme colour provides a gentle and neutral atmosphere.

We set up a shared workstation near the takeaway counter on the ground floor to provide a small space for workers to unpack takeaways, send and receive deliveries, and provide interactive installations such as public messaging billboards. The concept of sharing and communication permeates the details of the design, and the balance between work and life requires spatial convenience and care. At the same time, the combination of linear and point light sources in small local spaces allows a little bit of theatre to come to life.

In the secondary lobby, we have designed a blue acrylic backdrop, with the primary purpose of displaying the effect of natural light on the illusion of reality.

The poetic life does not come from afar,

but from the heart inspired by external.

The German Romantic poet Hölderlin once wrote the poem “Man, dwelling poetically”, depicting the ideal life of divine connection between man, earth and nature.

As it is called, poetry is the way for man to reach the dimension of divinity, the essence of which is creation. In a fit state to face the world around, this material world will reveal to people a spiritual intention that transcends the material.

The demonstration area of the Zhulinli group in Mogan Xi Valley is located at the eastern foot of Moganshan in Deqing City, born between five native stream valleys, next to the Farming Museum, and only 15-30 minutes drive from the Moganshan scenic area.WJ STUDIO aims to position the project in a simple and pure lifestyle that embraces nature, reflecting on the similarities and differences in the positioning of residential products on the market and recreating the essence of living in space.

Therefore, the essence of living does not depend on where you are but on your state of mind. “It is only through this that the intrinsic meaning of design for the space itself can enter the heart.

Laugier’s The Primitive Hut proposed an archetype of living space, an ideal architectural form that embodies something natural and intrinsic. This theory later influenced a series of architects such as Semper and Corbusier and profoundly influenced the modernist exploration of the nature of living space.Moganxi Valley. The design of the demonstration area of the Zhulinli group includes exhibition, reception, catering and cultural living spaces, and the interior design of three showrooms.

Through combing the whole project, we hope to reinterpret life from the perspective of design so that the space can become the externalisation of an independent individual’s lifestyle, instead of being defined by the mainstream style of the market, and break the programmed logic of the interior space of the residence from the perspective of design.

01

 The House of Wood

The house has two floors connected by an open staircase, separating the social and leisure spaces from the lounge areas.

The satin-like spiral staircase echoes the mountainous landscape outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, not only uniting the two floors spatially but also maintaining a visual continuity between them, allowing the tension between modern and natural elements to bring more layers to the interior space.

In the space designed for families, we chose a large wood finish to emphasise the warmth and calmness of the original wood, linen and white walls.

The choice of furniture in neutral tones in the children’s room subtly incorporates a hint of childlike interest in a natural and casual style. At the same time, the design of the bathroom balances the overall tone and look of a modern feel.

02

The House of Design

The social, work, leisure and other attributes are brought back into the concept of  ‘living’. Based on the consideration of the diversification of residential products, it is more suitable for the use of life itself. The current residential production can no longer carry the spiritual needs beyond the functionality.

The color of the floor and the warm wooden furniture create a gentle and original atmosphere.

Combining the well-ordered and accessible structure of the grouping, a spatial scene is presented through the changes in space, colour and material, with thoughts of warmth and calmness, light and darkness, roughness and delicacy,nature and artificiality.The space is not only a display, but also a reflection of real life. The pursuit of the ultimate life experience will penetrate the details into the design of space。

03

The House of Nature

Life is not only about art, but it is also about variety, and in nature, the interiors are continued more brilliantly. Tents, moss, trees, everything natural ‘grows’ indoors. The second home showroom is a two-story detached building. The living and dining areas on the entrance level flow smoothly, making life easy and relaxing in the sunlight.

The metal lines create a modern, elegant and light texture, while the original wooden furniture and brass lamps and ornaments create the intimate feel of a living room at home. The sunlight through the large floor-to-ceiling viewing windows suggests the slow flow of time, depicting a relaxed holiday.

The natural grain of the wood and the decorations made of grass and wood materials create a natural atmosphere of a secluded home.

A freestanding music den with nostalgic vinyl records brings back memories of the past. Away from the city, away from the noise.

Ningbo, a port with a long history, a city with vibrant hustle and bustle of life, is a unique place where design should not only focus on the sense of ritual and value, but return to human life – to find the scenes from everyone’s dailylife, to contain the softness and sharpness of the city, and to integrate the character, aethetics and spirit of the locality.

As the earliest foreign trade port in Ningbo, Sanjiangkou is not only a place where merchants gathered, but also a symbol of the Ningbo urban development.Sanjiangkou witnessed the history of Ningbo, and carried the memories and nostalgia of Ningbo people – it is always a topic among the older generation.

Greentown Sanjiangkou City Exhibition Hall is located at the intersection area of Daqing South Road and Xinma Road in Ningbo, an extension part of Sanjiangkou.Considering the unique significance of Sanjiangkou in Ningbo, WJ STUDIO hopes that this project is not just a formalized real estate sales center, moreover can reflect and integrate diverse culture, such as Shanghai culture, Hongbang culture, and traditional culture in it; and finally becoming a space for both commercial and cultural communication.

The architectural style of the entire exhibition hall continues the style of surrounding cultural and historical architecture, using many traditional architectural elements. Based on this, the interior design combines modern design style with humanistic urban atmosphere, to construct a space with urban cultural attributes.

Besides the functions of sales office from display to sale, it also can serve as a community supportive social space, that brings abundant scenic and aesthetic experiences.

Although the space is not very big, it has the basic function of sales office, and also includes more derivative functions, creating a diverse and integrated spatial experience.

The first floor is designed in a casual and relaxed way, so that the interior space can naturally combined with the outside streets, and has a better view in the corner space, overall optimizes the space experience.

The second floor has more social attributes. Besides the function of sales office, it also serves as a brand output and activity venue, as well as a displaying space for subsequent cultural life.

At the same time, the project design boldly integrates traditional aesthetics and techniques, gives a feeling of affinity without losing overall aesthetics sense.

In terms of color, the design applies the color tone in Ningbo traditional Hongbang cultural clothing ——cyan, vermilion and black.

In terms of spatial form, deconstruction is applied in the design to reinterpret the form of traditional roof and wood structure, and reconstructs the relationship between main body, interior and roof.

The project is located in Yuyao, Zhejiang province, bordered by Houqing River to the north and the former residence of Wang Yangming (the leading figure of the Neo-Confucian School of mind) to the south, and adjacent to the Wusheng Gate historic and cultural zone, the birthplace of the Yaojiang School (Yangming School of Mind) and the Zhedong School (Eastern Zhejiang School).

As a venue for branded events and reception, this project has multiple functions. The designer has abandoned elaborate decoration and focused more on the experiential quality of the interior space itself by transforming the traditional Chinese woodwork with a modern language and creating a space filled with diverse elements.

Enclosed with dark wood finishes and light-colored walls, the traditional wooden structure is dismantled into simple geometric elements,which creates a layered spatial experience with a sense of linear wooden frame through the entire house.

The use of different shades of light and texture in the minimalist color-blocking design, integrated with geometric elements with a feeling of movement, creates a calming and dynamic space.

For instance, in an unnoticed corner, you can see the long strip of light exists with the large rough stone and mysterious black iron plate,which in general breaks the quiet and elegant atmosphere in the space.

Through the dark brown wooden steps to the second floor, and a private round box with a wooden door, you can see a Chinese folding screen with a frosted texture. The design of the clubhouse tries to achieve a balance between modernity and tradition, simpleness and sophistication.

The wooden lines hanging from the top are interspersed with rounded corners, creating an environment filled both with rigidity and flexibility.

The large wooden elements used, together with the interspersed linear metal elements, give the whole space a rustic and delicate touch, while remaining minimalist and light. The simple geometric elements, the subtle hues and the natural material texture have reconstructed the quality of the space.

“A pine grown greener with the rain, a brook that comes from a mountain source- and, mingling with Truth among the flowers, I have forgotten what to say.” This is a fragment from a poem by Liu Changqing in Tang Dynasty. The designer borrows the name and connotation of the clubhouse from the final couplet to emphasize that, when a man is questing for something in the world of physical reality, he can rest with a self-examination when returning to his house.

The world changes, out with the old and in with the new. The project, built in two old houses with traces of the past, creates a poetic habitat of a modern life with a bit of a lifestyle among traditional Chinese intellectuals, which is free from the mundane details. The living space is reshaped, where Yangming’s thought is reborn.

A sober and independent lifestyle indicates a reflection on the relationship between the self and external world. The design of a home is to life what a nest is to a bird, it is a place to rest after a long day of “flying”. Therefore, how to create a resting place where one can think freely and observe the external world at the same time becomes the focus of the design.

The sitting room in the first floor features a mixture of vintage carved windows and lighting embedded in a square grid of the ceiling, where visitors can look out onto the courtyard and enjoy the conflicts, fusion and overlap of the classical and the modern views.

Round-shaped side tables and coffee tables are interspersed in a clean, linear space, where the straight and curved lines are set in contrast.The chairs made of leather and felt add a sense of movement to the orderly space.

Located under the sloping roof of the original structure, the master room on the second floor is a soft and cozy modern space. The light-toned wood finishes and a few metallic and glass elements, illuminated by the warm wall light and roof light, overlap to create a pure, elegant and calming retreat of modern life.

In the underground floor, where the living room is located, the whole space is decorated with lines that link different rooms, where the family members can feel companionship, being connected while being independent of one another.The entire 4-meter-high space is filled with gentle light that comes from the PVC ceiling, blending together different spaces.

The use of natural and rough materials in the living room makes a striking contrast with the modern materials. For example, the natural coffee table, and the walls made of the light-colored wood planks and dark-colored stone slabs make the owner feel a touch of nature, as if hewere in a wilderness of sheltered modern lifestyle.

In today’s context, the image of a city needs more memory and culture. As one of the most important cities in modern China, Fuzhou and its memory and culture are more related with “shipbuilding” history in Mawei district.

Now, the project Mawei Shipbuilding Library becomes the starting point and physical space of shippbuilding culture in this city. This space is designed to serve not only as a library for reading but also as a mental space for cultural display and expression.

——Hu Zhile

Founder and Design Director of WJ Studio

Since ancient times, Fuzhou has been the land of Minyue people. it is also known for shipbuilding and shipping and the birthplace of Chinese shippbuilding culture.

Now, located at the former site of the naval school, the library is equipped with “ship cabin and reading space”, echoing the spirit of “building ships and educating talents at the same time” from more than 100 years ago. The designer tries to use a new metaphor to inherit and express its local culture and integrate the spirit into people’s daily lives.

The structure of the library, situated in the Shipbuilding Culture Theme Park in Mawei District, was originally built as the warehouse of a shipyard. As a hub of the local cultural activities, the library has multiple functions such as promoting cultural awareness of shipbuilding, education, and academic research on shipping culture, etc.

The design uses “ship” as an element, and turns the whole library into an ark sailing in the wave of culture.

Borrowing the layout of a traditional ship, the library has a diverse combination of spaces. The bow (front end), mid-ship (middle section) and stern(rear end) turns into different interior spaces, while the open deck, semi-open cabin and other parts are also redesigned in a contemporary manner.

The library has been reconstructed from the original one-storey space to a two-storey space with a mezzanine floor, connected by a huge staircase from the bow area.

The first floor is used as a reading and display space (mainly books), which seems to invite people into a room of knowledge and culture.

The second floor is designed as a deck for leisure and events, which seems to lead people to board on a ship’s bow, and then they are allowed to stay or ponder in this open area.

The big steps between the two floors not only serve as a connecting passage, but also turn the bow area into a stepped space, enriching the use of the interior.

The atrium in the middle is the center of the entire library.

Here the designer creates a mental space for people to immerse themselves like in a ship’s cabin.

Movable bookshelves under the atrium make sure a flexible space is provided, which creates a multi-functional library for reading and display and other purposes.

And above the atrium, a huge keel structure hangs high from the ceiling, reminding people of the history of the shipyard. The black mirror-like material reflects everything like the surface of the water, as if time travels from the past and rests in this space.

A different kind of cabin is presented in the stern area.

This round-shaped reading room echoes the enclosed cabin of a ship, and thus is designed to be a quieter and more private reading space in the library.

In addition to the abstract expression of a ship’s space, the designer also uses the shipbuilding parts as decorative elements, enhancing the image of a ship with many details.

For example, the railing, steel ladder and cargo box are re-interpreted in a modern fashion. The new design language and new material are mixed and matched with the old space and structural form in contrast.

The combination of the new and the old indicates the time span of the cultural contents of the library, and this design spreads the spirit of shipbuilding culture into each and every corner of the space.

As everything is born from nature, the design method should also be based on this natural rule. 

Within this space, nature is the main character of the design. In the beauty of mountains and rivers, the design utilized the view towards the surrounding landscape, creating a space that maximizes the connection between indoor and outdoor.It also gives visitors a feeling that the sports center was born naturally from locals. Although it is built by human beings, it is more like a part of nature.

With the constructions of cultural and creative, tourism, outdoor, catering, accommodation and other services, Yixing Yada Sports Park is aiming to build up an interactive small town that encounters fascinating nature, creating a relaxing experience within the beautiful scenery of lake and mountain.

The mining Sports Park is one of the main parts of the planning. It is located on the original location of the old mine. The vertical disparity of the mining system brings both challenges and opportunities to the designers.After doing the research about the geographic characteristics of the site, designers try to merge the indoor space with outdoor and the outdoor space with nature. Hence, a sense of balance between the three elements is created.

At the entrance, the continuity between interior space and the building can be seen.The outdoor skin is embellished with rough materials and it helps reveal the connection with nature to the audience. At the same time, the material of the front desk has the same texture as the front wall, which helps extend interior to exterior. The extension of advanced design theory reduces the solemn boundary between indoor and outdoor.While light is one of the elements that attract customers into the hall, it enhances the relaxed atmosphere inside and emphasizes the element of nature.

In the pool area, the French windows and mirror-like surface of the pool make people feel like they are in a natural-born swimming pool. It makes visitors feel the embracement of nature.The planometric view towards the mountains and water surrounded is revealed as the mountain reflects on water, giving the people a graceful sense when they enter into it.After stepping up into the top floor, the windows allow people to take a glance at the variations of surrounding nature. Whether through it is the narrow space on the top of the main hallway or the continued openings on the side, the visitors can sense the change between day and night. As it becomes brighter as time goes on, the heartbeat of nature resonates with the feeling of happiness and peace.

“Transparent” is the keyword that goes throughout the whole design. With the application of glass curtain walls, the best viewing conditions are revealed.As we look from the top of the building,  we can see people doing exercises inside. At the same time, we are able to see people relaxing outside. An interesting conversation between outside view and the inside movement comes together, connecting nature, interior, and space.

Another spotlight of this design is using the architectural language for its interior. The sculpture-like stairs highlight interior space.The mining history of the site is revealed by application of stone walls as main facade material. The dark colored stairs design really promotes the whole interior atmosphere.

This design pays tribute to the characteristic of the local elements and nature, and the original geometric specialties are well reserved. The multiple points of  application of wood texture gives a sense of the warmth of nature, allowing the visitors to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere there.

From the perspective of lighting design, the application of multiple linear light reveals the power of its composition and continuous design language of the whole space expresses its modernism.

In contemporary context, people’s understanding of the sales center is no longer obtaining a single function of sales. It is expected to contain multiple elements and lifestyles.

Located in the North side of Hangzhou city, the design of Xifang Liang Yu Yman sales center aims to provide interactive real life scenes while fulfilling the demand for sales working. Forming its own culture tag through design refines the future portal of the community and then nourishes every individual who lives inside, so that they can integrate into life, immerse and experience the fun of every moment.

The design has a mature pre-consideration for the future function of the space: in the early stage, it undertakes the display function as a sales center, and in the later stage, it will become the main entrance of the community. Therefore, it is particularly important to create a sense of home returning ceremony and a sense of ritual order.

The sense of ceremony brought by the symmetry raises the attention of the visitor after they walk through the long gallery from the entrance. The framed view of the main entrance brings the infinite scenery within a limited scale.

As people step into the space, the open, comfortable and transparent feeling runs through the overall atmosphere.

The meeting room is designed in a clean and minimalistic design language. The geometric outline of the space can be easily sensed. The floor-to-ceiling windows with panoramic views create a conversation between indoor and outdoor, and the lines above the windows intentionally depress down and limit the field of view to the most appropriate scale.

The space can be formed and shaped by light, a kind of artistic method.

At the project model display section, all light sources are carefully designed to diffuse and reflect, creating a sense of grace and freedom. It helps guide visitors to appreciate and explore the site patiently. In detail, light with a strong sense of structure is embedded into the space in the form of copper pipe.  This design fulfills the needs of illumination and enhances the refinement of the details.

Although the designer uses geometric segmentation techniques to accurately depict the space from line to surface, it does not give visitors a feeling of intensiveness.

The combination of light green color and complementary color acrylic on the wall sets up the comfortable and easy tone, embellishing a light and chilling space. The loose separation of different sections creates flow and continuity, bringing people both clearity and security like walking into the lobby of a luxury hotel. Visitors can slow down and have conversations with others anywhere and anytime. Aside, scenery from outside is close to visitors, reflecting and revealing the vitality from inside.

The wooden staircase shares a strong feeling of sculpture. It is the main vertical transportation hub but also the center point of the space. The design of chamfering and curves makes the sculpture-looking stairs softer.

The tentacled wooden surface makes people feel warm while interacting with the stairs. Beside the stairs, the usage of the sandstone-like marbles are selected by generating the elements from nature. This design is intended to bring back the brutality feeling of the stone, creating dialogue between nature and indoor space. It also allows visitors to interact with it.

The space creates a small environment within ecology. From overall planning to detailing, the design can be perceived as the posture of daily life as well as the expectation of future. The design creates unlimited imaginations with advanced thinking of methodology and material selection, moulding a habitable, interactable, space with a strong spirit and a sense of reality.

“To re-vitalize the old building is not only change or renew the shape in design. For  Cangshan Cinema, the key point of restoration is to bring new function to life inside its original architectural space.”

——Hu Zhile

Founder and Design Director of WJ Studio

Renovated by Wanjing Studio, Cangshan Cinema near Yantai Mountain park, is an excellent case of upgrading one of the historical sites on the central axis of ancient cultural heritage in Fuzhou city.

The half-century-old Cangshan Cinema is the former Dutch Consulate in Cangshan district, which is located at the junction of Meiwu Road and Lequn Road, where histories from the East and the West mix and mingle. With the access of Metro Line 1, the site has a unique advantage of being transformed into a cultural space.

According to the requirements of the project, Cangshan Cinema will be positioned as a space of art and cultural exchanges and aesthetic events with three major functions: exhibition, performance and culture-related activities. The buildings(main building and ancillary buildings included) exceeds 2,000 sqm.

With this kind of non-standard space full of its own cultural significance, the design team finds that the difficulty lies in how to utilize the original building structure to serve the new functions.

During the site inspection period before the renovation, the designer divides the two buildings of Cangshan Cinema into 2 parts: the main building as the a complex space that can hold art exhibitions, live performances and cafes; the ancillary building, close to the side of the square, as a commercial space for services such as restaurant and gift shop.

The design team hopes to minimize the visual interruption of the main building on the ancillary building, while leaving enough space in the ancillary building to accommodate commercial purposes in the future.

For this reason, the designer first raises the ancillary building and then uses stainless steel and mirrored materials to cover the façade, trying to reduce the visual and spatial contrast between the two buildings. In addition, the typical brick arch form of the old buildings in this district remains unchanged in order to carry on the cultural memory of the local people on one hand, and to create an open sightline with the arc-shaped windows for the catering business like restaurants in the future on the other hand.

In terms of the interior renovation, the designer tries to keep the first and second floor as simple as possible and provide a free stage with multiple functions such exhibition, performance and café, etc.

Many details are carefully considered, for example a mirrored stainless-steel installation is set on the first floor’s entrance which visually extends the space. The lights throughout the space are designed to decorate the wooden beams of this old building and thus add layers and mixture to the whole space. The stands on the second and third floor are divided by a curtain wall to create a free space for leisure activities, which allows natural light in and the public to the access of exhibitions and performances on the first floor.

The Cangshan Cinema after renovation will serve not only as a multi-functional space for exhibitions and performances, but also it will function as an incubator for cultural and artistic activities in Fuzhou. As an important showcase building with cultural significance in this community, Cangshan Cinema will use its space as a hub to embrace art exhibitions, performances, artistic and gift shops, a small-sized mobile theatre and other diverse events and activities, and to connect local events and trends in Fuzhou city, which will definitely provide opportunities for a city to become the one of creativity  and innovation.

Everyday, about a third of the time in the office, as for more ideas into office space, office space is no longer a traditional closed space, but with the ever-changing information high-speed iteration, gradually become an open work communication area, the room for the work, talks, even can gradually derived lectures, salon, event and so on brand-new scene, has become a new medium, to join different forms of communication.

This design is in an auto industrial park, situated along the canal, the designer hopes to provide the user with a comfortable office experience, on the basis of creating a slightly cool feeling, work flow and open space, to support the future changeable demand, we hope to break the boundaries of space and time， this coincides with the attitude of contemporary new office space.

Resetting the streamline of the space becomes the first step of the design. The biggest feature of the shared office space is to plan out a reasonable area in an open space, and rationality becomes especially important, the open office area and the separate office and meeting area are arranged at intervals, so that users can switch efficiently and autonomously between the two different kinds of office places according to their needs.

Open and half-empty areas have multiple spatial attributes like courtyards, which can be freely transformed between office, social education and even activity Spaces.

When choosing the height of the space, we focus on the sense of use of the space users, and reasonably plan the first floor and the additional floor space to reduce the sense of oppression of the space users.

In the choice of materials, the basic overall use of wood veneer with mirror and glass, such practice is intended to avoid the many shared office space design trapped in the vicious circle,  excessive pursuit of entertainment and lost the original characteristics. In this way, people working in the office space can be happy at the same time, they can always maintain the tone and enthusiasm of the office.

On the decoration of the space, we also focus on the consistency with the style of the park. The decoration of car parts in the space, recycled parts from used cars, makes the space more interesting, and divides the space reasonably, which is also the practice of the current sustainable concept.

And the addition of ground color, let the space more lively, in such an atmosphere, the user of the space will burst out more inspiration and ideas.

The mirrored glass widens the interior area and increases the sense of hierarchy of the space. The continuous glass surface brings more sunlight into the interior and establishes the flow relationship between indoor and outdoor space.

The whole renovation design adopts the subtraction method to strip out the space and structural prototype, and restrained the material into the space system, thus increasing the visual height and width of the space, in the future office space development in the new mode, there will be more infinite possibilities for more companies will be carried out here，now and in the future .

“There is a garden in the house, a house in the garden, a courtyard in the house, a tree in the courtyard, the tree can see the sky, and there is reading in the sky, it is not easy!”-Lin Yutang, “Twenty-Four Happiness in Taiwan”.

Mr. Lin Yutang’s house with a yard is the most ideal living place in the minds of every contemporary people. In our hearts, everyone has his own corner of the ideal yard, where there are flowers or simple. “Courtyard” and “garden” are indispensable architectural symbols in the construction of traditional Chinese housing. Courtyard and garden are not only a home, but also a long-standing cultural complex of Chinese people, which reflects people’s pursuit of spiritual and personal space.

The project name “Cheng” is the design inspiration, paying tribute to traditional Chinese culture with “Garden within yard” and “Yard in garden” , deducting with modern design techniques, and constructing Oriental aesthetics.

We hope that there will be no separation between the interior and the building, and the outdoor landscape will be extended to the interior, one scene at a time, and the water will alternate between the interior and the exterior.

The high consistency of interior, architecture and landscape also makes every visitor perceive the path like “garden”, which is the pattern of light, landscape and line. They are independent and form each other.

The curvilinear cutting at the top also gives the original space more expression.They are quiet or soft, and the reflection of the large area of glass and the outdoor water is also a manifestation of the supreme life concept of chengxin. Such a space should not be felt in isolation, but should be viewed from a more comprehensive dimension. These cut planes also combine to create a new space and make the whole space derive more possibilities.

The functional areas of the space unfold slowly in the space like a picture scroll, which satisfies the practical functions of the living museum and also allows aesthetic considerations to exist in the space. More importantly, the main line of the design runs through the space. The upper and lower Spaces are just like the tension and relaxation in life. It is also the separation and separation of functions.

In the designer’s opinion, even if the space needs to meet the practical function, it should also be rich in regional and cultural belonging, and the richness of space superimposed with functions, with a sense of interest and ceremony.

The outdoor waterscape reflects the changes of the sky and clouds, and the water moves when visitors walk around. In the room, you can see these dynamics and changes. The water is not only the landscape of the garden, but also the landscape of the space. Dotted with rocks from Huangyan, it is an experience of living in harmony with local culture. There may be some reflection in the water, flowing away with the water, just like the word “cheng”, pure and beautiful.

With a new understanding of life and the definition of a good life, we also opened an idea about chengyuan living space, which fits the contemporary living concept.

The space meets the multiple needs of the home, and the space is planned reasonably so that the users of the space can blend into the space and the living conditions, which is more in line with the comfort and leisure of the second residence.

The house is the container of life, and life is the whole meaning. Design is not only thinking in this space, but also transferring the concept and aesthetics of space to every visitor.

Brief

This project locates at the back of Cui Wei Mountain, facing Ou River. The owner would like to see an ideal residence being built here with the help of a quality urban lifestyle and great scenery with local culture.

By defining a series of sub-spaces which have various scales but interact with each other well, the designer establishes the episode of introduction, development, and bridge, passing out the atmosphere of simpleness Time and space are evolved throughout the project, blurring the boundary of architecture, and combining humanity and nature. Therefore, the project is a perfect response to traditional Chinese gardens.

Challenge

Mixing into the scenery is the special attribute of traditional Jiang Nan gardens. The space is built according to water scenery, guiding visitors to interact with the nature and taking them to join the landscape. The entrance of the project is designed relatively narrow after the adjustment of the architect to create a calm atmosphere and to show the nature most.

“We wish every visitor can feel the calmness of time and interact with nature.” Walking circulation transforms from dark to bright, enriching light levels in the space, establishing atmosphere of great mountains in limited space.

Space Analysis

The building is in linear shape, with a part sightly reaching the water. The inclined ceiling designed with directions lower the sights from visitors and guide them to nature. The sunken part in the building adds the independence and boundaries of meeting zone. The process of lowering sights draws visitors closer to the landscape, creating the dialogue between human and water, and setting resonance of reality and imagination. Façades with the shape of long paintings are crystal clean, eliminating the boundaries of indoor and outdoor. Time reveals its trace of flowing when four seasons are changing, and when days and nights are altering. Nature, becomes the main theme everywhere in the project.

Material

Main materials are selected as wood, stone, and plant, for they are the elements of nature, to decorate the space. Simpleness are emphasized through various levels.

With unique characteristics, art pieces that reflect regions and history both represent different humanity themes and label themselves as signs of the space at the same time. The flexibility eliminates boundaries.

Sustainable

The project is designed with great flexibility for renovation in the future. It also reserves space for kindergarten. In the future, this building can still fit into different scenarios even if its users and functions are not the same.

The younger generation, for independent multi-functional space requirements more and more intense, more can reflect the diversity of space design in the future of a new generation of young people in the future the demand and desire of life, where they can find the possibility of more in the future in this space, we also hope to be able to present a small space in the home, this space is not only the concept of the traditional family, is the contemporary young people an accommodation space of imagination.

The LOFT in The Sky City is about the imagination of young people. Under such a background, the designer hopes to create a living and working space that meets the needs of young people to solve the living space problems they encounter in living, based on the multi-format life circle that meets the living needs of young people through spatial relationship.

In the design, we focus on thinking about breaking boundaries, presenting different cultural backgrounds and artistic forms for young people to gather in communities, live freely, enjoy the present and explore the future together.

Liangzhu Cultural Village is already a model of Hangzhou cultural village life. In this area, people of different ages and occupations can find their own living and cultural activity. The Big Roof, is one of the special space in Liangzhu. Ando’s design mark makes this building have another spiritual demand.

The space of the original building is generally divided into exhibition space, Xiaofeng Bookstore, and coffee shop. In such a well-known and deeply loved space, “redesign” has become an interesting and difficult project. The design should not only restrain the impulse of intervention, but also show the understanding and innovation of the original space.

The “Small Roof” in The Big Roof, is a project which is from the design form to the scene form, from the interior space to the outdoor space. Designers do not want to give it more extra symbols. It should be more of a market, a state of life, a multi-dimensional way of expression.

Therefore, we hope the design to be put in, not to be transformed, but should be more connection with people and events will happen in future.

Design only solves a form problem here, but life is presented by people here. Design integrates people’s needs for cultural life, so that it can become a complete whole.

The whole education building presents a rectangular block. In the limited space, the design completely opens the original abandoned closed space and introduces the northern landscape that has never been noticed. The third high-rise box facing the waterscape and cherry blossom is renewed to become the learning space of the community.

Open the East and West sides of the second floor, and use the green windows at both ends to drain the sight; increase enough commercial light, restore the original trough gypsum board ceiling, restore and reconstruct the relationship between indoor and outdoor space. In the main space at the entrance, the design method of placement is used as the main form to guide the spatial relationship of the whole format.

Seeing that the merchants carefully dressed up and decorated their own space, they spent a lot of effort to create drywall to create a harmonious overall environment. The commodity display was also carefully selected by the manager of The Big Roof, becoming the most attractive protagonist in this space.

The designer team went into the factory to ensure the final high-quality completion.

With the small space renewal, the design team and The Big Roof team rely on each other’s efforts and persistence to create a village co-life. At the same time, the magazine project in mind is opened together with the new education building, which makes villagers feel the joy of “wasting time on beautiful things”. The most valuable reward for a designer is this.

We envisioned a whole new way of life, a whole new possibility. Finally, here, we can limit more beautiful moments.

This project is located in Hangzhou Zancheng Center, a building with square structure façade. It is adjacent to Qiantang River in the south, attracting many famous international companies to settle in for office.

The owner is a company founder, who focuses on high-end clothing design and fabric R & D.  With the development of business, a new space is needed to show the persistence and brand spirit of materials and fabrics.

At the beginning of the project, designer Leo Hu and his design team, after many times of communication with the owner, focused on how to express the excellent fabric material and cutting through space and color.

Leo Hu, the designer, hopes to use simple lines and devices to reshape the space and create a space integrating exhibition, reception and office.

The simple color block and the space are separated by the use of design and customization materials make the large space not have a strong sense of regional function, and the body in it will not feel constrained. To create a space relaxing and comfortable, just like the comfortable wearing feeling brought by the high-end cutting materials. It will not feel constrained, but detached and comfortable.

At the entrance, white is used for development, and only the simplest lines are used for decoration at the wall. Every visitor can feel the extreme purity when entering the space for the first time. The combination of white wall and projection makes the entrance space more modern and professional, and also makes the entrance space have different visual levels.

Different from the traditional office space, the entrance chooses the setting of no lobby and no entertainment. Subtraction in the space can make the whole office space more complete. Simple line decoration can be used for spacing, which has the function of separation and no rigid wall spacing. It makes the space have more simplicity It seems to be a simple quilting decoration on the clothing, which is orderly from the far view and close to the view Elaborate low-key design.

Entering the main space, the floor-to-floor window on one side allows the whole space to have a open view of the beautiful Qiantang River. The space only uses simple colors. The designer hopes to reproduce the texture and technology of the old industrial era.

The use of new and old materials also makes the space collide with a new visual atmosphere, just like the use of different materials in clothing, splicing out various collocations.

As a dual attribute of office and exhibition hall, space needs to be met is indispensable. The simplest color matching is to set off clothing and cloth, and the office area also provides more possibilities for daily work.

In the fabric exhibition area, the designer chooses the simplest lines for combination. The vision of the space is clean, simple and straightforward. The design of lighting also makes the delicate materials and clothing displayed incisively and vividly.

In the river view area, the designer has made a new planning and integration for the functionality of the area, making the use of the area space more relaxing. The sofa, carpet, single chair, texture and color complement each other. The designer hopes that every user will have a kind of leisure and comfortable mood. When the weather is good, look out and the river is sparkling. Natural and cultural atmosphere is expresing in the space between ships.

The small coffee box in the space breaks the past that the tea area is separate from the main space. The embedded small coffee and tea bar makes the time to enjoy a cup of coffee or tea more relaxed, and adds a little sense of daily life and interest to the afternoon tea in the working time every day.

Simple things can often offer people more feelings in details. While space has its own identification degree, it also solves the complex feelings brought by the environment. A new space is playing its infinite potential.

Designer gives space unique and compelling style, the design of the feeling of serenity and dramatic tension, delicate and comfortable by foil of take in everything in a glance in space.

The guests to come or meditation introspection, or exploring the view, feeling the hotel bring peace and comfort. Relax in the tranquil landscape.

Absorb the minerals in natural hot springs, in a traditional Japanese hot spring reception aesthetics of the home stay facility for inspiration, to provide pure Japanese contemporary flavor and comfortable enjoy leisure hotel space layout is for those routes.

The concept, in the spatial layout of each guest room has its own private indoor and outdoor spa bath, and the guest room space is open and comfortable enough lighting, in the design to create a quiet relaxed and leisure atmosphere.

In China, mansions are measured with the numbers between entrance to the main room. The family is the basic unit. Chinese do not like to display wealth, so they build high walls around their mansions. In our ancestral houses, gardens were built for pleasure, and it with very simple design of black or red back doors, and grey tile white walls.

——Leohming Pei

Shangyu Jiangnan Li, is adjacent to the World Cultural Heritage Grand Canal to the south, Xiaoshao lake to the north, in the river intersection, Cai Yong, Xie Lingyun, and Li Bai have all visited the river across the weir.Since the Spring and Autumn Period, the natural landscape of Shangyu has been built with ancient land roads. Xianzhi Wang praised that walking from the mountain to the vagina, the mountains and rivers are mutually crossed, making people overwhelmed. The coexistence of humanity and nature has always been praised by scholars.

At the beginning of the design, we were thinking about how to integrate the ancient symbiotic state of nature and the Chinese vision of the traditional garden at the same time; building a personal spiritual world, where people living in the garden, wandering in the nature.

A good courtyard mansion should be integrated between the landscape and architecture in space, and it should be brought the joy of life by space of nature. Therefore, in Shangyu Jiangnanli, the designer hopes to redefine and present the modern life via the integration of space and orders.

To open the underground space and let nature and sunlight enter.

Through the way of earlier intervention, the designer reconstructs the meaning of the underground space. The definition of home has changed from a single fixed space to a more diversified third space, making the underground space a place where real life can happen.

The underground space includes the reception room, the tea room and the third space in the true sense. The french window on one side allows nature and light to enter and this is the typical design of Chinese-style courtyard house in believe of coexisting nature and spirit in one space.

The hollow space allows the sunlight to enter the room better. The entire space is treated with light to make the entire underground space full of temperature like the ground floor.

All the spaces and furniture here follow a design principle that allows the whole to penetrate into the details. Whether it is a modern shape from a traditional shape, a delicate closet or a traditionally refined dark red, it is exactly where each one belongs. Everything is related to the space, life and nature.

The first floor is a space that reflects a fixed lifestyle. In traditional understanding, a living room is separated into up hall and down hall, one is for ceremony and the other is for family life. It connects the outdoor yard, and makes a peaceful without losing the sense of ceremony.

However, in this design, we rebuild it and integrate it into the modern lifestyle. We create a natural and harmonious living atmosphere. You can sit in the sofa and have a panoramic view of the nature state of the plants and trees in the courtyard.

The exquisite glass lamp on the top makes the space more integrated. The contemporary design style is integrated under the traditional courtyard house, it reflects a modern Chinese lifestyle. In addition, the mixed furniture makes people feel this design principle profoundly.

On the second floor, the bedroom is the most private space for family. The bedroom needs to enter through living and leisure area, so that the need of privacy can be better considered.

The bedroom also needs to reflect its living space in a quiet state. The combination of walk-in closet and reasonable design of the main bathroom allow the space to have more complete functionality and daily life to be carried out in an orderly and quiet manner.

The bedroom’s color is always unfolding in the traditional Chinese colors. Gold, lapis lazuli and dark red reflect the nobleness of traditional Chinese style without losing its fashion.

The words and ornaments in the wall paintings also correspond to the gardens. The preface of Lanting Collection is the true portrayal of the comfortable life in traditional China, which coincides with the design and concept of the Chinese style courtyard house.

Jiangnanli is more than a modern style, it is the courtyard house design about time.

Maybe we can no longer experience the way people used to live in such a homeland in ancient times. Whether we can use a new space to reflect their spirit, not only to abide by their freedom and grace, but also in a more real, more concrete, more modern design.

Yada Yangxian Xishan is located in Huyi Town, Yixing, Jiangsu Province, which is known as “the only deep oxygen resort in China”. It is adjacent to Taihu in the East, surrounded by mountains on the other three sides, with continuous green bamboo, lush tea fields, and at a glance, the mountains and rivers are like rain and mist.

The building area where the reception center is located is built along with mountains and forests, hidden in the valley, and the surrounding area also retains and uses natural rocks and trees, and integrates with the surrounding natural landscape.

In such an overall environment, Zhile Hu, the architect, hopes to offer a kind of life scene to the users of the space: to introduce the natural mountains and rivers here and create a kind of peaceful mind like hometown.

What we think of as a life scene is not limited to a certain style, but an experience that can be integrated into it.

How to put the concept of landscape into painting and life as poem into reception center?

The presence of natural landscape and becoming them to be the vital role of space.

This is the design concept of the reception center.

The architect Hu, thinks that the space needs to be closely combined with the surrounding buildings, environment, and even object extension needs. The design should start from the heart via using simple language to express the natural expression, and bring it into the detailed design of the space.

China’s landscape culture has a long history, and most of spiritual cultivations are near mountains and rivers. The reception center is slowly unfolding between mountains and rivers, like a painting.

With the landscape as the theme, the landscape between the layers of mountains is replaced into the line of sight. There are different views from far to near, integrating Chinese landscape artistic conception into it.

The structure of the space is also consistent with the surrounding environment, creating the sky, mountains and bamboo forests. The dynamic design of the space also follows the order from dynamic to static.

From the space prelude of the entrance to the space opening of the front, visitors step into the multimedia display area, and finally exhibiting the space of the social area and the sand table.

The daylighting design of the patio at the entrance refers to the natural light, which naturally casts the light into the interior. The design elements of streamline and curve are like the distant mountains and the sky. In combination with the garden elements, the landscape is remolded in the interior, without losing the beauty of details. The purpose is all ingenuity.

The hall adopts a sinking design, with an unobstructed large area of glass window view. It can look directly at the mountain, when visitors standing in front of the window, and admiring a panoramic view of Yangxian lake and the undulating bamboo forest.

In the central exhibition area, a group of mountains and rivers are designed to create a landscape in nature. Between pacing, the mountain scenery and water shape can be seen in front of the vision. In the space, nature will be introduced into the room. At the same time, the nature view properly maps the scale of the distant mountain shadow, and also presents the theme of this design, which is to let mountains and rivers become the leading role of the space.

The shape of the top and partition of the central area is the design evolution of the bamboo curtain. In the natural landscape, the architect hopes to offer more space and humanity. Bamboo curtain also cleverly separated the opening area of indoor space, so that it can also have a relatively independent functional space.

Hangzhou is a traditional city in the southeast of China, where we can peak its cultural features from its traditional architecture in history. If you want to see the most representative building complex, it must be in the historical blocks along Zhonghe Road.

Our object today is located in the Datong Lane where is a historical building block near Zhonghe road in Hangzhou. This is a typical alley residential building, which was built in the period of the Republic of China. In this area, residences mostly live behind or above from shops.

In this environment, we need to pay more attention to the protection of the building itself, as well as the extremely rare building structure. Particularly, this is a matter to keep consistent with the surroundings.

Tong Shang Ji, founded by our owner, aims to enlighten children’s “judgment, understanding, cognition, feeling and feeling” of things by using a new “experiential teaching” method for more parents and children.

After having a conversation with the owners and a visit severally, we put forward the design concept. In terms of materials, we use soft and comfortable natural materials; in terms of space design, we mainly focus on large open space without partition, to create a natural, interesting and infinite fantasy learning space.

However, how to keep consistent with the surroundings of Da Tong Lane, and how to the principle of the owner in new experiential culture teaching, have become the initial question of this case.

Due to the close distance between the historic block of Da Tong Lane and the viaduct, the erosion of the urban construction to the old buildings is too serious. Therefore, we need a grid design to protect a parent-child activity space from urban noise. A space is only with natural and joyful childhood.

The design of wooden grating is consistent with the simple traditional architecture around Da Tong Lane, which is the inheritance and innovation of tradition.

Looking out of the window on a sunny day, the passers-by and the white wall are close to each other. Time is slowing down here.

We put origami, log, nature and light into the whole space. These elements belong to children’s imagination space. The use of wood color in the space also makes children closer to nature.

A core barrel is inserted in the original position of the patio. The core transparency also makes a connection and interaction between the two floors above. On a sunny day, the natural light goes indoors. At the same time, the children also have an entertainment area. Particularly important to modern education, is to offer more time to children to know nature. This design also meets the needs of Tong Shang Ji as an educational space.

In the original structure, the second floor has higher height, which limits the activity space. Therefore, the owner hope that we can integrate education activity space, parent-child accommodation and children activity area into this space.

We added lofts to the original structure. In this area, we create a home stay for parents and children, so that children can have a space to rest together and more like home while experiencing.

The addition of the skylight in the attic is more interesting and also meets the lighting needs of the old house.

In this space, children can experience hand work, enjoy undisturbed parent-child time with their parents and enjoy unimpeded activity space. Such freedom is the best enlightenment for the young generation.

The biggest difference between private residence design and commercial space design is the meaning of home, because home is a place where we feel warm, a place where the owner presents his or her private lifestyle.

Dangui Garden House is located in Hangzhou, a famous travelling city in the south of the Yangtze River. It is a transformational residence project. The owner is a family of six people, three generations. They have a high requirement of life quality. Our design started with knowing their living habits and hobbies, whether they have parties often, or they like reading, or they have collectibles. We even learnt the attitude of the owner to the material, their pursuit of aesthetic and so on. All the design ideas are based on their daily life.

In this world of reinforced concrete, people’s desire for nature is getting stronger. Our design follows the principles of nature instead of decoration and style. When we were dealing with the small courtyard on the first floor, the old pomegranate tree in the original courtyard is well preserved. The courtyard under the sun is full of green, which brings a sense of peace.

In order to conduct sunlight into the indoor space, we expanded the living room, and set a glass wall. At the same time, the fireplace is placed in the core area of the living room instead of a traditional TV background wall. On the one hand, it meets owner’s hobby. On the other hand, it also provides heating in winter.

In the space and function layout, each design detail shows the humanized design thinking. In order to enhance the privacy of the entrance, we have transformed the original entrance, added stone walls, and formed a cascade perspective. According to the owner’s preference for red wine collection, we designed a large wine cellar and a tea room at home. In the bedroom and other space design, we use white as the main tone, and logs, paints, stones as the main materials. We did not use too much decoration to fill the space, but to adopt the principle of comfort and conciseness to match, to create a relaxing and elegant living space.

In the designer’s view, space is full of vitality because of the use and participation of people. We hope to reserve more continuity possibilities of space for users at the beginning of design. As the years go by, space will be endowed with life and soul.

ANSHUKA was founded in 2010 on Nanshan Road, Hangzhou, next to the famous West Lake. It is named after the owner’s name “An”, meaning “kindness “. It is the first Western-style pastry store to bring semi-cooked cheese products into China, leading the domestic market, and it has been recognized by customers for nearly ten years.

When the designer Hu Zhile talked about the inspiration of ANSHUKA, he said，when I walk on Nanshan Road, the leaves of the phoenix trees on both sides are dancing in the air. And walking in the shadow makes people feel very good and quiet. At that time, I was thinking about how to present the building in such an environment.

Nanshan Road is familiar to people in Hangzhou, and the memory of the phoenix tree is always with peace. We see people passing by quickly. The fast pace of modern urban life makes it easy for people to ignore small tiny nice things around them. And I hope that ANSHUKA can make a space where people are willing to slow down and stay, to feel the life for a while, even if it is just a cup of afternoon tea or a dessert time.

In the overall renovation of ANSHUKA, the designer transformed the original milky yellow simple wall into a dark facade, supplemented by a golden frame, so that the whole building can echo to the surrounding environment and blend perfectly. We use white and wood as the main tone to create a more natural bright feeling. In order to attract more attention and people, we make the best use of the large arch-shaped floor windows to solve this problem appropriately. Whether at dusk or at night, the indoor activities reflect through the window has become a beautiful scenery on the street.

The arched glass that extends from the first floor to the second floor reflects the lush phoenix trees along the roadside. The entire building’s facade becomes alive covered with different coats as natural as it.

Throughout the design process, we used simple materials to echo the pursuit of ANSHUKA in the ingredients. Therefore, we used wood and metal materials in the interior space. The ultimate goal of doing subtraction in interior space is to highlight the product’s presentation. When we see the product on the shelf, the delicacy of the dessert is as well presented as expected.

We use glass and skylights to conduct sunlight into the room. When it’s sunny, when you’re enjoying dessert in the store, you’ll be surprised to discover that the flowing lights and shadows have become the souls of the whole space. They come from passing pedestrians, street trees, bicycles, passing cars. These interlaced images often bring inadvertent excitement at different times.

When you walk in as a customer and sit down to enjoy the dessert. You may find that all the designs may be casual. While you sit next to the phoenix trees seeing the light and shadow changes, you may watch people passing by and see the sunlight through the skylight casts on the plants. The gentleness of light and shadow makes you forget the passage of time. You leaned on the sofa quietly, feeling maybe this comfort is just right.

As the sales center of Unicity of Vanke in Fuzhou, we want to make a difference between City of Sky and traditional sales center. Instead of style, we pay more attention to the sense of life experience.

What is the true value of life?It is not just a style, but more a living experience.

A good space needs to be closely integrated with the surrounding buildings, environment, and even the needs of product extension. Design should start from the heart to express the natural flow, and bring it into the details of space design.

The original site was a parking lot with three walls and a pedestrian entrance on the top. The space was dark.In the design considerations, we focus on the users’ experience as the core. Two patios are implanted in such a closed space to introduce natural light.

Through the ramp, the first thing we see is a water pool. The water’s flexibility brings more vitality to the building. We want to use the only external facade of the entire building as much as possible. Through the floor glass, the outdoor landscape can be visually integrated with the interior. At the same time, the mapping of the water surface also extends the indoor perspective appropriately.

Pedestrian overpass is placed above the main entrance; the entrance space is defined by the overpass. Through the entrance we can directly get into the indoor space, and the first thing we see is a large eave, which brings us a childhood memory. We used to climb the eaves to look at the sky, and what is floating under the eaves is called life.

Indoor patio links the entrance of the upper-level residential area so that two spaces get well connected. Rain and sunlight comes in through the patio bringing us a more natural and real indoor experience. Natural space permeates each other, and people prefer to stay here.

The interior design elements of City of Sky are modern but simple. Designers do not want to overload the space to present the sense of value. Every detail is centered on the human experience. The design idea reflects the feeling of space and the continuity for the future. This is not a style-fixed life, but a space flexible for all kinds of possibilities in life.

Brief introduction of the project

BO Space is located in HE Park where used to be an old industry site and now a culture & innovation gathering place in Xixi Wetland in Hangzhou. In the designer’s view, the city is expanding way to fast that we are losing the old imprint of our city while we are losing our culture as well. Buildings are getting old, but we can keep its vitality through a design and transformation. Bo Space is not just a restaurant bar but also a complex space. It does not only provide people a place to stay but also presents a way of living. People can find out what they really like here, even if it is just a ray of sunshine, a picture show, a good meal, a slow pace, or a way back to life.

Details Information

BO Space is located in HE Park where used to be an old industry factory and now a culture & innovation gathering place in Xixi Wetland in Hangzhou. The balance and connection between the new and the old brings a totally different vibe.

Along with the imprint of the old factory building, you will find a new space behind the long corridor. The original sunken area is reserved and transformed into a small outdoor yard.

Regarding the indoor design, we removed the walls facing the sunken yard so the views are wider. We also use an atrium to make a connection between indoor & outdoor space.

Pass through the spacious restaurant and bar, along the black spiral staircase to the second floor, where we will see some fashion designers’ shops and a big empty space which can be used for art or fashion exhibition in the future. The terrace extend from the corridor will become a great leisure area in summer.

From the point of view of commercial function, BO Space is a composite format but from the design point of view, we hope it will become a place for cultural preservation.

In the designer’s view, the city is expanding way to fast that we are losing the old imprint of our city while we are losing our culture as well. Buildings are getting old, but we can keep it alive through a design transformation.

This complex space does not only provide people a place to stay but also presents a way of living. People can find out what they really like here, even if they just enjoy a ray of sunshine, a picture show, a good meal, a slow pace, or a way back to life.

Y20 SPACE is located in the Hongyuan Park inside of the famous Hangzhou XiXi Wetland and surrounded by charming natural scenery and profound historical culture. This area is attracting a large number of small and medium enterprises, such as investment companies, Internet Co, and many start-up companies. When the owner AIcai Technology found us, they did not just want a work place, but more to create a space for office work, business conference, activities, presentations and exhibitions.

After we learnt our customer’s demand, we have carried out the overall design of the space from the point of view of the positioning and functional requirements of the whole building. The original building is more like a sculpture, standing in the XiXi Wetland scenic spot for people to see. Our design challenge is to through our design idea we create an atmosphere like WEWORK, make a difference from the traditional work space in the neighborhood, meanwhile we had to think how to create an attractive experience in this shared business space.

The landscape of the original main entrance of the building is very good, so we changed it into sunken yard. With the surrounding white wall, it becomes a great place for people to spend their leisure time and enjoy the views of the landscape. The transparent glass wall makes the indoor space bright and brings an open vision for the people inside of the building. The white exterior wall, the red seats, the light solid wood, the cement, and the plants bring a concept of the modern simplicity.

We made a whole new entrance to the side of the building and made it like a channel as we wanted to convey a ritual sense of space, create a time tunnel feeling. Walking though the channel we can see an open interior space which brings a strong contrast between the narrow entrance and the open bright interior space.

The whole construction is slightly thick, so we use white as its main tone for the indoor space and used a lot of wood as the main material for interior decoration to create a sense of lightness. The original building itself is like a letter Y, so the streamline of the indoor space is designed to act in coordination with the building. The gray color and the original cement make the space simple and pure.

Due to the limitations of the construction some parts of the interior space are relatively narrow and lack sun light. We changed some walls into glass so we could make a connection between the indoor space and the outdoor environment and bring an open view for the people inside. Also we used a lot natural material to make the interior space a extension of the outdoor environment so people here can feel the seasons change.

We think that design is not a skill, but a sense of perception and insight that captures the nature of things. The main concern is not the form, the space or the image, but the users’ experience. Space is invisible but it is as rich as life and full of dynamic just like breeze, you cant see it but you can always feel it. This is a kind of new work environment experience that we always want to bring to people.

The whole space of the building is very high, so the echo is too loud. We used sound-absorbing walls to make the space less noisy so people can avoid discomfort caused by the echo or resonate during the daily activities. We also preserved some space in the window area that is convenient and flexible for the future demand.

The holes in the original building wall are well preserved. They are the windows to the beautiful views, just like eyes are the window of the soul.

The sunken chatting area makes the visual level closer to the nature when you look at the outside landscape. And the fireplace brings warmth to the space.

We see a quiet and warm atmosphere in Y 20 Space like a natural gift to let people inside explore and seek.

Hangzhou is the city hosted G20 Summit, which has the strongest spirit of the internet in China. As the conception of the internet was born: openness, sharing, and interconnection, the advent of the internet economy has broken the limits of time and space. The new era is gradually optimizing and integrating social resources, overturning people’s thoughts, and thus changing the way people live. Le Fit, a “subvert-er” compare to traditional fitness industry which is based on the internet platform and advocates for “micro-fitness,” has come into being in Hangzhou accordingly.As the chief designer of the first updated Le fit venue in China, Leo Hu needs to challenge the upgrading of scenes, equipment and experience within a limited space.

“An outstanding designer is not only a stylist, but also a product manager who can explore the value of space,” said Leo Hu:“ The ideal of internet practitioners is to pursue perfection and to be comprehensive, but an excellent product manager knows to make wise trade-offs. The most difficult challenge in the design of the Le Fit Plus gymnasium is to accommodate the endless demands of the internet industry within the controllable range.” Traditional fitness venues covering areas of thousands of square meters mainly gear towards high-end people; however, Le Fit gyms are built on the retail scene in communities and aimed at general public. While guaranteeing the engaging user experience, it is necessary to maximize the use of resources under limited capacity,perfectly balance the proportion of different spaces, achieve maximum area effectiveness and realize rapid duplication of profit models.

The ubiquitous lightning symbol is the most conspicuous mark of the Le Fit fitness center . The emergence of the red and silver lightning symbols standing for speed and passion impresses everyone. It indicates stylish and dynamic environment in the gym, and also narrate a lifestyle engraved with the spirit of Le Fit. The image of lightning has also been processed as oblique lines which are largely used in the venue. These powerful and sturdy lines highlight the sense of power and movement in the design, meanwhile, break the flatness and monotony of space and form a rhythmic echo.

“Sports have gradually transited from simple exercise to a natural lifestyle. People go to the gym and communicate with other exercisers thus fitness center becomes the third space in the type of sport. ” This is designer’s understanding of the fitness industry in the internet era. Le fit gym is a buffer zone connecting family and work where people can freely release themselves.

The extreme tidiness is one of the most impressive qualities of this space. Glass, steel, and wood, three simple materials corresponding three pure colors, create a calm, clean and clear atmosphere; the dim light injects a warm and soft feeling to space; bright and lively lightning symbols and slashes introduce jumping sense and ignite enthusiasm in the people’s nerves. Colors blend harmoniously with each other in the collisions, and space still maintains a wisp of calmness in the passionate atmosphere, therefore, it can satisfy the need of environment for different exercise types: sweaty aerobics, intense running, or relaxed yoga.

In this gym, people will have the same experience as they do exercises outdoors: central ventilation system and a large number of open able windows purify the indoor air and infuse the venue with the fresh breeze from nature; a lot of glass is used on the facade along the street to bring the outdoor view into the room while delivering a healthy and fashionable lifestyle to the people outside. When the sunshine passes through the windows and sprinkles on the ground, people feel like put themselves in nature. Far away goes the soul, leaves the body still.

Gongchen Bund Center of Xihu is an integration project of architectural, interior and landscape design. At the beginning of this project, what we were asked to do is the interior design. The original architecture design is a space with a French facade. The idea was lacking of thinking of the connection between the building and the surroundings. A building stand alone can only provide an experience of the interior decoration with no connection with the outside environment. What we wanted is to redefine the project in a holistic way of thinking through a reorganization of the overall space.

Like most commercial Centers, the basic function of this project is for business, therefore, the decoration needs to be fancy and rich. However, what we wanted is to make this space simple, and pay more attention to the connection between inside and outside space and present the content in a better way through this space.

In the night, the inside space reflects on the water makes the outside of the building connected with the inside space.

The landscape of the courtyard perfectly separates the Center from the outside noisy street. A quiet beautiful view well presented right in front of the people once they walk through the entrance.

The walls of the entire first floor are glasses and the shape of the building is a simple square. With the reflection in the water, the building looks less heavy. We built a outdoor pool in the courtyard so that people can have a place to stay and enjoy their leisure time and have a touch of the nature.

To be consistent with the external style, the elements used to decorate the lobby are also simple. The lattice divider inside is a good extension of the glass facade, and the grey glass inside are used to create an extended view in the limited space.

The communication space on the first floor is not separated from the lobby so the functional area is visually connected with the overall space. Meanwhile the indoor leisure space is also visually connected with the outdoor space. The design idea of the first floor is all about views. The indoor and outdoor views are well connected.

The bar in the middle of the lobby is not only a function area but also a part of the indoor decoration.

The roof on the top of the staircase to the second floor is glass so the sunlight can cast in throughout the space. Half the space on the second floor is designed as a sample room, and the other half is made a reading area. There is no good natural view in the surrounding area since there are only noisy streets and buildings under constructing, therefore, we wanted to build a roof garden on the top of second floor and create a courtyard landscape by using glass as barriers.

Due to the commercial consideration, the roof garden is turned to be a Children’s entertainment space. In fact, we think that changing is also a part of design work. The final use of space will vary depend on the actual user and will not be changed with the designer’s will. However, a good space design will bring different people different imagination and the space will present different states in different eyes.

Design is to imagine and create a form of an object. Whether we design the space in a fancy or simple way, we shall not ignore the real feelings we have about the buildings themselves. Buildings are artificial, and we need to experience the original inspiration, so sometimes, a designer also needs to be a discoverer.

Nowadays, buildings are designed in a variety of forms and shapes and modern architecture is more aggressive. We forget the genuine feelings we used to have about the building itself. For examples, those old dilapidated temples and abandoned cabins, they are remained in time with memories.

The East way of thinking is more abstract and we need to work more to formalize all these ideas. The esthetics of the Orientals pay more attention to the beauty of the thing itself rather than the meaning of the form. So is architecture. When we want to express the original inspirations, we need to think about the real significance of a construction. Only when we learn to put all the accessories behind, we will see the most genuine touching point of the object itself. Less is more. Thus, we’d rather to discover than to create fancy but meaningless forms.

According to a survey by the American Association of interior designers, people who like their work environment are 31% more satisfied with their work than the others. And a well-designed office is more attractive to talented employees. The survey also found that nearly half of the job seekers said that a company’s office space would affect their decision whether to accept the job or not.

The idea of modern office design is not only about the style, but more about functions, life, logic, culture and a way of organization. The best office environment should appeal to employees to find their own space in the high-density office space.

—Hu Zhile

Founder of WJ Design&Chief Designer

The VPGAME office is located in Hangzhou city center, which is a company running gaming club operations, gaming platform services and other relevant business. Nowadays the office environments of young companies are becoming more and more homogeneous. The design ideas are mostly concentrated in the industrial style with variety of elements and colors.

The challenges are how to make the overall space simple, moderate, elegant with multifunctional sections through less impact on the integrality of the overall space. We divided the space into several sections providing multiply forms of team work such as work area, multifunctional conference rooms, leisure space and a bar for employees to relax. Each section is separated but consistent in style.

Each section is separated but consistent in style. The space is well structured with different materials. Bare concrete walls are inadvertently inserted plays a role of coordination.

Office is more about the cooperative relationship between people. You can see transparent conference rooms present different expressions according to the materials including cement bricks, wood, glass, metal and so on.

One more important thing in office design is the impact of the light on the long-term work. We use the diffuse light in the main office space, so the light could illuminate the whole space through reflecting to the top to avoid the effect on the visual glare and creates a sense of relaxation in the leisure area.

When the sunlight reflects into the space through the glass, the whole space is filled with a vibrant atmosphere. In this way, people can work in a warm and relaxed environment through reasonable lighting, just like working in the sun.

The project is a high-level personal studio of an artificial intelligence company, located in a hollow old factory building. Its design is to be in the moment work and living in a single unified environment will be the city’s abandoned space into a multi-dimensional interesting living space.

Owners demand is very easy. The design of a wood workshop with a temporary residence. It can support a large dog, and you can park Ural (a motorcycle).

The original space between the two plants and the space is a shipping channel, the top left the original lightweight steel roof. The original structure of the house, space, use, does not fit existing design requirements. How to reshape the form of space in a new living experience is critical to the overall design.

Designers insert a box-shaped space divided into three functional space in the original application for the second floor of the fixed-level high school , and in the space into the two courtyards.

Designers want to create such a rich experience of residential space. There is no good environment around this building from the outside. But into the interior will find it , because there are very bright atrium and another internal courtyard occupied the entire one-third area. It provides a contact with nature, and reveals all aspects of nature, is the center of work and life, but also a device replaces the disappearing light, wind, rain and other natural objects in the modern city . Sky light infiltrates into yard, casting a deep shadow on the wall and yard.

Indoor space outdoor, natural through the Light Court was introduced into the interior, the new form of life has also assumed a serious side. “In this case, the design that contact with the natural life is more important than convenience.”

The main function of the first floor for the wood workshop, the entire space without any partition space, the structure of the column and the concrete directly constitute the main visual elements of space. Through a huge automatic sliding door, Ural can be directly into the internal space, and for the wooden work area provides a flexible workspace.

The second floor is the reception room and open kitchen and living room.Living room, reception room and open kitchen different functional areas here are organic combination .The first floor staircase and the second floor opening walkway will be connected to the two functional space. The external area of the reception area can be moved open, connecting the indoor atrium and outdoor view of the landscape.

Bedroom door opened, through an inner courtyard, into the most intimate living space, in a small space with more rich empty experience.

the third floor

Leave extra space on the third floor to provide more possibilities for use of the light, from the redesigned planking into the interior space, showing a rich light and shadow.

The restaurant is designed based on the inspiration of “travelling”, focusing on the youth travelling topic and bringing the customers a unique experience of enjoying the great food and journey at the same time.

Green Tea PLAY KING Theme Restaurant, which is located in JOY CITY of Beijing, is a new concept fashion restaurant. It focuses on specialized Western food, especially different kinds of delicious Pizza. On March 10th, the second branch opened in the JOY City in Xidan, Beijing, with bursting popularity on the first day. There is no doubt that it has become another great success after the appearance of The Grandma’s.

Therefore the kitchen is decorated as a luxury bus, putting different elements perfectly together in the romantic space, sparkling and amazing. The dining area retains the cemented structure, bare pipelines and other originals.

The ground is designed as a part of a real road. Along with the wildly industrial modeling, combining with the punk style elements, the restaurant shows people a new kind of decoration which is creative and attractive.

The most flamboyant part of the restaurant is the new technology called Naked eye 3D Holographic Laser Projection. So with different sceneries changing, customers can have a feeling of space travelling from cities to great nature surrounding by all these elements.

Meanwhile, the dining area is divided into different parts, which can meet the needs of different number of people as well as different styles. The lights were placed so low that it makes a perfect and unique dining space for every individual who comes here.

Those humanized design is not only useful but also creative. Although it is a little bit busy and noisy in the restaurant, people can have a peaceful and quiet period of time inside their hearts during the meal.

The design of the entire restaurant is modern and fashion, which is so popular with the young. Anyone who comes here can experience a great sense of food as well as a sense of fashion. Play King can satisfy you not only from the most discerning taste, but also from every detail of the visual, auditory and tactile senses.

The world is so big, lets enjoy the great food along with a fantastic journey together.