Ningbo, China
Along the banks of the Cuibui river in Ningbo, China, Shanghai PT Architects’ China Overseas Oriental Mansion Sales Center for Ningbo China Overseas Haitang Property unfolds like a meticulous Chinese painting.
Taking advantage of the urban greenbelt, the architects configured the building along the Cuibai River and harmoniously integrated it with nature, art, and humanity.
For its stirring design, China Overseas Oriental Mansion Sales Center has recently been awarded a 2022 International Architecture Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
The project borrows the essential spatial organization approach of ‘starting, developing, twisting and merging’ commonly utilized in traditional Chinese gardens.
The building starts from the riverbank and progressively develops into different functional areas.
Then the architectural volume is twisted and raised higher, and its display surface is expanded.
Visual interruption techniques are employed to enrich the layers of space.
Finally, the iconic roofs are merged to unveil the beauty of modern geometrical shapes.
The project inherits traditional Chinese architectural style, and meanwhile leverages modern building materials such as galvanized steel tubes and zinc alloy roofing panels to realize a streamlined design and functional practicality.
The exterior design draws on the architectural style of Jiangnan courtyard dwellings and incorporates the elements of traditional palaces.
When viewed from a distance, the whole building appears simple and forceful, like a meticulous-style Chinese painting, while, at a closer look, it is compact and practical.
The double-sloped roof with a curved spire echoes the silhouette of the nearby undulating mountains.
Symbolic elements of the famous local cultural heritage Family Zheng’s Seventeenth House are integrated into architectural details, with painted beams and overhanging eaves showcasing the brilliant regional culture.
In addition, the facade utilizes metal plates, which are twisted from nine different angles to create a dragon-scale-like artwork called ‘Source,’ combining architecture with art.
Project: China Overseas Oriental Mansion Sales Center
Architects: Shanghai PTArchitects
Design Team: Wang Jungang, Ruan Weiqing, Gao Sheng, Zhou Jilin, Liu Xin, Che Chuanbo, Shi Tianyi, Wang Zhengwen, Chen Jinmei, Yu Gang,Pan Jiaqin, Ding Yundong, and Yu Shen
Contractor: Ningbo Construction Co., Ltd.
Client: Ningbo China Overseas Haitang Property
Photographers: 10 studio, Yuan Yang and Qiao Yunfeng
