Text description provided by the architects
Longfor Jiatianxia in Banan, Chongqing, is a residential demonstration landscape by Limo Landscape for Longfor Real Estate that literally moves nature onto the site. Longfor's landscape standard has evolved from five-layer planting to five-dimensional landscape ecology, health, interaction, refined craft and humanism, and the project takes that as its starting point, borrowing the mountain and channeling water into the garden. The base sits in the Longzhouwan area of Banan, along the ecological belt of the Yangtze, where dense forest and distant mountains give the site an innate, mountain-hugging force. The whole demonstration zone is built on mountain, forest and water, following natural form rather than imposing it. Mountain forms are extracted and placed as a foreground water feature, backed by a semi-transparent glass screen that silkscreen-prints a landscape painting, so that peaks appear and disappear behind dense woods. Metal cladding collides with grey textured imitation-stone panels, cut to shape as a new kind of entry wall. After several studies, the designers chose a half-tree with drifting leaves that merges with the background forest, fronted by low flowering beds for layered movement. Curved lines draw water as if sketched in a single stroke, like a stream threading the woods; white stone edges, dark grey gravel and a black-background still pool graduate colour from light to dark. A deer sculpture at the forecourt, auspicious for longevity, seems to have emerged from the forest to rest by the stream, lending an otherworldly mood. Two gate frames borrow mountain views and welcome guests with flanking specimen trees; mid-grey marble-imitation tiles give the gate a dignified calm that still fuses with nature. Along the path, lanterns lead through flowering beds, and a secret garden invites the literati poet in. Planting groups each form small scenes while jointly creating a larger microclimate; a mirror pool reflects the building and stretches visual depth. In the inner courtyard, mosaic walls depict deer herds threading the forest, reflected in water and veiled in mist. A narrow strip beside the sales gallery extends the mountain-water narrative with bamboo, rockeries and an artful waterfall, fusing indoor and outdoor. No real stone is used anywhere in paving or facades; all is imitation-stone tile, meeting quality standards while supporting environmental responsibility. Backed by Tongluo Mountain, the site blends naturally with the hills.
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