Willow Shores: A Harmonious Blend of Modern and Traditional Design

Hangzhou Gescape Design Co., Ltd's Award-Winning Landscape Architecture

The design team, led by Fan Ge, Yingyi Lou, Kaifang Zhang, Ji Yu, Xin Zhao, Chenmeng Jin, and Yixiang Pei, embarked on this project in June 2019 in Suzhou and completed it in December 2019. The project's location, Taihu New Town in Wuzhong District, Suzhou, offered good natural conditions and complete cultural and educational supporting facilities, making it the central area in the urban strategy of "one core around four new towns".

Willow Shores' unique properties lie in its minimalist design approach. The large-scale canopy and the windows on the landscape wall make the whole interface open and stretch, while the entrance to the hall is hidden behind the wall, reflecting an elegant and restrained temperament. The design team used a combination of modern design language and cultural symbols of classical gardens, arranging and combining the natural elements of plants, rocks, and waterscape to interpret the artistic conception of ancient Suzhou with contemporary techniques and modern materials.

The design realization technology employed in Willow Shores includes a corridor with twists and turns, filled with small spaces that abound changes, half columns full of traditional forms, and modern simple decorative grid pieces. Hollowed-out metal curtains, swaying green bamboo, and a narrow corridor space combine to form the emotional change of the front and back space. The exterior of the aesthetics museum refers to the Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at West Lake, with a boundless swimming pool skillfully placed in the traditional pond in the south of the Yangtze River, making the whole picture full of changes and rich levels.

Despite the challenges faced, such as finding the traces of Gusu in the site space and how to talk with light and shadow in architecture and nature, the design team successfully created a residence with humanistic feelings and a comfortable environment. Through the carding of all spaces, visitors can experience the different mood of shuttling between traditional and modern in every turn.

Willow Shores is a testament to Hangzhou Gescape Design Co., Ltd's innovation and creativity in landscape architecture. The design's unique blend of modern and traditional aesthetics, combined with its humanistic feelings and comfortable environment, make it a worthy recipient of the Silver A' Landscape Planning and Garden Design Award in 2021.