Text description provided by the architects
The Manyuelan Courtyard by Zhongnan Country Garden in Taicang takes its narrative from Taicang's identity as the departure port where Zheng Zheng set sail on his voyages to the Western Seas: for a thousand years, voyagers left from here to explore the unknown, and now, as time turns, those travelers must return to harbor. Manyuelan Courtyard lets the returning voyager and family drift home through shifting courtyard scenes, sharing time together. The main entrance, where the project meets the municipal road, extends the design into the municipal greening to form a romantic flower border rich in layered depth. In the reception space, a falling water curtain and star-like ceiling texture complement each other, airy and dreamlike; starlight and the murmur of water add romance and calm before the visitor drifts into home. Beyond the pre-reception area lies the core water courtyard: still water, half-seen corridors and wavering light compose a xieyi painting of river maples and fishing boats, and the fine sparseness of shadow on clear shallow water, so that the voyager converses with time itself. The rear court is primarily a passage for viewing; light facade grilles along the covered walkway bring light and shadow into the space, and a small boat sculpture anchors a quiet, graceful atmosphere that echoes the project's name. Turning into the rear garden, another scene of natural innocence appears, divided into small, human-scaled spaces among dense planting where the view shifts with every step. Bubbling fountains, lush lawns, tall specimen trees, quiet pergolas, playful scenario sculptures and children's play equipment together form a calm, comfortable, lively and interesting precinct, and even within limited space the design engineers multiple turns of delight where the returning voyager hears water, smells flowers, sheds fatigue and wanders at ease. The designers aim to express a lifestyle of intimate contact with nature, returning to the essence of life; through landscape, the carrier closest to nature, they strip away busyness, balance the conversion of time and space, and interpret authentic domestic language from the site itself. The project sits at No. 17 North Ring Road, Taicang, Jiangsu.
Editor's Pick
