Hangzhou Dowell · Life Style Center / Shanghai Tianhua Architecture Planning & Engineering


© Jianghe Zeng

© Jianghe Zeng
  • Proprietor: Hangzhou Dowell Real Estate
  • Landscape Design: T+Mstudio
  • Landscape Design Team: Chao Chen, Liusang Yang, Chenli Zhu, Mingjing Che, Ying Cui
  • Interior Design: DOME&ASSOCIATES
  • Interior Design Team: Tianqi Xiao, Tao Liu, Yuqing Liu, Xuechun Zhong, Lijuan Xie, Zhongyan Xiao, Qing Shao (Director: Qing Shao)
  • Curtain Design Team: Umbreal Engineering Consultants
  • Illumination Design: CHINA UNITED ENGINEERING CORPORATION LIMITED
  • Construction Unit: YUEFENG GROUP
  • Organization: Weiyi Wang

© Jianghe Zeng

© Jianghe Zeng

Text description provided by the architects. Dowell Future Impression is located in the west of Hangzhou Xixi National Wetland Park, facing Wuchang Wetland Park while sitting mountains.


© A.GUANG

© A.GUANG

The life style center is the epitome of Future Impression Estate more than an ordinary sales center. It is initially used as the sales center but later added an underground Our Space, a ground floor lobby and an upstairs light meal space. The original intention is abandoning excessive modifier, that is what you see is what you get. The multifunction help to establish great vision of Future Impression.


© Jianghe Zeng

© Jianghe Zeng

© A.GUANG

© A.GUANG

The design concept comes from architects’ understanding of the relationship among architecture, water-mirror and landscape. Therefore, taking the inspiration of “Look up at a peak with awe to enjoy elegant scenery, look down to a stream with appreciate to admire wide universe,” the innovative façade approach is encouraged by the natural beauty of lakes and mountains, in other words “View a mountain at a distance, touch its meaning within heart.” To achieve that, the way home is designed to cross water. The mirror-like water works as cornerstone, which breeds the whole building.


© Jianghe Zeng

© Jianghe Zeng

Walking into the lobby, the enclosed curve of the stairway roots in Mobius Band. Pure space is given forceful artistic atmosphere.


© Lingjun Meng

© Lingjun Meng

Transparency and piercing sets space boundaries in the underground Our Space to create a complete interlaced spatial system. Meanwhile, wood and concrete is combined with plants and books, aiming to transfer dynamic spaces to static spaces.


© A.GUANG

© A.GUANG

The upstairs cinema’s steps are as curved as contour lines, turning sunbeams piercing through tiles suspended in the wind into checkered light and shade on the ground. In this way, the architectural form is combined with inner spaces. Sit inside idly and look up into wooded mountains, it’s exciting that the boundary between exterior and interior is blurred by transparent glasses, bringing in surrounding scenery, which creates an illusion reality like reaching the peak as well as viewing a picture. The interaction of inner soft lights and outer glistening waves reflects the charm of faraway mountains and nearby water, representing the soul of Yuhang civilization.


Underground space. Image © Xiang Cheng

Underground space. Image © Xiang Cheng

Structure analysis

Structure analysis

© Jianghe Zeng

© Jianghe Zeng

The basic element of facades is “Tile” representing Jiangnan. Driven by traditional method “Perfect the form with inner meaning”, Corrugated parametric design is applied to crescent-shaped pendants and slim stainless upstands suspending on facades, to landscape the building. Within vernal sunlight, hook-like glazed tiles appears to be delicate mutton-fat jade, drawing out a picturesque Jiangnan impression with misty rain.


© A.GUANG

© A.GUANG

© Jianghe Zeng

© Jianghe Zeng