Project: Dreamy Island
Architects: GROWTO Design
Location: Chengdu, China
Area: 27,477 sf
Year: 2022
Photographs by: BIJISPACE
GROWTO believes that design should not blindly follow trends but should return to an understanding and contemplation of the essence of residence, rooted in the local context, integrated with nature, and constructing a living space that provides comfort to its inhabitants. After more than a year of meticulous craftsmanship, the design team has deconstructed and reorganized elements from various aspects such as site, environment, architectural structure, interior space, material selection, and the presentation of culinary arts. The design infuses emotions of home and depicts the traces of time.
The poetry of life is not found in the pursuit of grand narratives. Whether in the bustling residences of urban centers or the natural abodes between mountains and rivers, in creating space, there is also an intentional effort to build a relationship with nature. While both architecture and people may pass with time, the deep-seated perceptions and expressions of memories, emotions, and experiences carry a timeless spiritual significance.
A central courtyard garden vertically traverses the space from the first floor to the negative second floor, horizontally connecting functional spaces such as the living room, tea room, bar area, and art hall. The spaces are interconnected, creating a balanced and flexible arrangement. The stillness of the landscape complements the dynamism of the space, blending architecture and nature, extending into a novel experience that integrates Eastern, natural, and minimalist elements. This design exudes both majestic tension and delicate tranquility, creating a rich sensory experience and a compelling emotional impact.
From the beginning of the design, the underground levels have incorporated light wells, forming a “Four Waters Return to the Hall” courtyard. The sunken courtyard cleverly conceals the tangible “domains” of space, achieving a state of “separation without isolation, boundary without confinement” between nature, architecture, and the interior, allowing a sense of natural tranquility and simplicity within a defined space. The negative second-floor atrium directly links to the first-floor garden, exploring variations in vertical space and expressing different scenes in the natural world through the shaping of sunken spaces and controlled scales. It also follows a meandering path in the horizontal plane, using modern design language to explore the essence of traditional gardens.
The first-floor space continues the formal language and order of the main space. The design rearranges the relationships between architectural surfaces to allow uniform diffusion of natural light. The regular and orderly play of light and shadow relaxes the mind and fills the space with an elegant atmosphere that intertwines classical and modern elements. The diversified scenes add a sense of ritual to life, with a semi-open layout that seamlessly aligns with daily life patterns. The subtle connections between spaces and between indoor and outdoor areas outline a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere for the homeowners’ entertaining scenes. The vibrant living scenes originate from a precise insight into real life. Grilles capture and master the relationship between “concealed or revealed,” completing the poetic transition between reality and imagination.
The second-floor space, serving as the children’s bedrooms and recreational areas, is imaginative and artistic. The public area is not just a single leisure and entertainment space but also a scene for children to vent, explore, and create. The free layout respects the potential for children’s growth. Playful colors radiate a caring warmth, opening the door to a fairy-tale forest in children’s hearts, allowing them to unleash their nature and immerse in imagination.
Moving upward, the transitional space of the third-floor master bedroom and living area tends to be quiet and private. The artistic tension reveals the elegant humanistic atmosphere of this home, where life resonates with beauty, providing a sense of belonging to the soul. The epilogue of the space, the arcing extension, eliminates the heavy sense of volume indoors, making the space softer and more gentle, allowing for an infinite extension of the spatial sensation.
The design team places great emphasis on the naturalness of the space. Therefore, in the design, by adjusting the building structure, creating daylighting wells and underground gardens, fully utilizing the flow and superposition of natural wind and light, the entire space presents a transparent, bright, and pure texture, while achieving green and low-carbon environmental value. In terms of energy sustainability, designers adopt a full house recycling system to achieve the reuse of electricity and water. In addition, the original outer layer of the building and windows have been insulated, which not only improves sound insulation and heat insulation, but also effectively reduces indoor energy consumption.
-Project description and images provided by GROWTO Design
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