Text description provided by the architects
A single stone striking a thousand layers of waves, like dropping a stone into still water whose changing colors invite the passerby to pause and appreciate the restrained beauty. Xi'an, a sixteen-dynasty capital deepened by time, carries three thousand years of human stories visible in the plants, bricks, and tiles of its ancient walls. Solid as stone, it holds the power to record and witness eternal years. Drawing on Xi'an's humanistic heritage, the design collides traditional culture with modern landscape through a series of stone-and-wave scenes to create a quiet, light, and culturally resonant space. The first act traces past and present, extracting the solemn pagoda elements of the Tang dynasty and presenting a ritual order with pagodas, cascading water, and flowers, welcoming residents home in a grand and ceremonial space. The second act sets stones as the eye, using radial folded lines to cut into the central mirror pool, with stainless steel geometric sculptures of varying sizes arranged like mountains rising from the ground, so that from above they resemble brilliant islands floating in a sea. The third act strolls through a Zen courtyard, moving through a corridor into a narrow future commercial space, where weathered landscape stones and contrasting paving compose a restrained humanistic space. The Zen courtyard uses earth as canvas, gravel as frame, and pines and stones as brush, painting a three-dimensional landscape painting that cultivates seclusion and calm. The fourth act faces the wave shore, where at the show flat area, elegant lines, sculptures, and feature walls compose a courtyard that climaxes the resident's emotion, with sculpture as the protagonist, appearing like a dancer in motion and rippling elegant light. The fifth act turns through garden scenes, where water, stone, and pine combine with Tang cultural symbols to create a simple, grand corner that conveys refined naturalness. The sixth act returns to the secret valley, where play is the way children know the world, and a nature-themed play area with vivid forms encourages exploration. The 60,849-square-meter project, with a demonstration area of 11,615 square meters, offers a quiet return to the heart in the city.