Shanghai Flower Garden Square project identifies itself with space and three-dimensional continuity. There are no elevations, no plans, or sections. This is space within solid objects. The genesis of the concept is based on a proposal that is more volumetric than linear, creating spaces in front of creating shapes. Unexpected spaces that enhance human life experience and seek to seduce the sensitive side, the emotional response.
Shanghai Flower Garden Square deeply explores the use of natural light in order to mould forms into sculptures. The project plays with light, and therefore, its shades and shadows. Light is capable of molding forms into sculptures.
The plot is located in Hongqiao District, Shanghai. It is integrated in the pattern of the city and surrounded by other residential areas. A new block-type residential project is located on the northern part while in the east, old residential blocks are placed. In the southern part a small river crosses the plot, and the southern area is surrounded by vegetation and trees. The plot surface is 45.653 m2 and it is currently a residential area with single house villas.
ACCESSES, VEHICLE CIRCULATION AND PEDESTRIAN CIRCULATION
The scheme of the accesses has been separated in three different categories: the main entrance to the Master Plan placed in the main street, named Jinbing Lu, near to the control point boot; the entrances to each of the 10 plots and finally, in the third category, the entrance to the houses, in most of cases in the East orientation.
The space for circulation has been reduced as much as possible, in order to give more space for the green areas. That is why the circulation represents only the necessary to give access to the plots.
The streets have a variable dimension that goes from 4 to 6m. The cars can circulate in both directions and also, at the end of the streets there is always a roundabout, to allow a continuous circulation inside the project.
Cars can directly access to house’s garage placed in the ground floor, so stairs and elevators are not necessary.
The project looks for a friendly circulation for the pedestrian. That is why along the whole circulation there is always a green space, to create a nice and welcome atmosphere for the user.
Because there won’t be a lot of traffic inside the project –it is a single villa area-, the whole wide of the street can be use for walking and its texture is made by stone instead of asphalt.
LANDSCAPE
Landscape’s design guidelines are based on the idea that the user should always feel surrounded by green areas in a friendly and people-oriented atmosphere.
The landscape is designed following curved and smooth paths instead of straight lines. The result is a creative, elegant and low key environment, where harmony is given by gentle curves.
FUNCTION ANALYSIS AND TYPOLOGY DESCRIPTION
The villas are divided in two sub-types: most of villas have a building surface of 800 m2 with a garden surface around 3.600 m2 and the villa placed in the center of the plot has a surface of 2.000 m2 and a land area around 8.200 m2.
The project tries to follow a very modern and contemporary design with the idea of providing a project for the future. RTA-Office’s value is its design, which is unique for each project and client and provides an exclusive and special product which will result in a well-known and eye-catching project. The idea is not to provide just a building, but to provide advertisement, world-wide notoriety and acknowledgment and at the same time give new experiences to the user.
The main concept for functions’ distribution is a typical Chinese house.
So, the scheme of the floor plans is clear and simple, and based on a traditional Chinese diagram.
Starting from the classic building type and moving forward, step by step, the design of the house is brought to the 21 century and successfully keeps its traditional spirit.
However, at the same time, in order to provide a warm atmosphere, different arrangements like glass, terraces, views to the park, vegetation, introduction of water layers in the interior spaces are used.
SKIN
The skin of the building is composed, mainly, by three materials: main exterior material, secondary material and glass. The main exterior material is silver metal, with a little bit of reflection. The idea is that the trees can be reflected on the exterior skin, and at the same time, the building “disappears” in the surroundings and it is integrated in the green space. The second material is wood, the one used in the “cuts”. This material provides a warmer feeling to the building, specially, in the interior spaces.
The third material is glass, which is specially used in the southern façade. Glass allows communicating with the exterior and making possible that nature enters inside.
