Golden A' Design Award Winner 2021
Scanning this architectural photograph from background to foreground, listeners will construct a mental image of a striking contemporary building captured at twilight. The distant background presents a mountain range rendered as soft, muted silhouettes in cool blue-gray tones, suggesting peaks perhaps three to five kilometers distant, their forms gentle and rolling rather than dramatic or jagged. The sky above occupies roughly the upper quarter of the composition, displaying the characteristic gradation of blue hour light, deepening from pale powder blue near the horizon through increasingly saturated cerulean toward the upper edge, the color temperature feeling distinctly cool like the air on an autumn evening just after sunset. The building itself dominates the middle ground, its most prominent feature being a dramatically angled roof that slopes downward from left to right, creating a bold diagonal line across the composition. This roof appears to be clad in dark metallic material with a matte finish, suggesting the cool, smooth texture of zinc or dark aluminum. Beneath the roof edge, a band of horizontal louvered screens creates a rhythmic pattern of parallel lines, these elements appearing warm in tone like honey-colored timber, their texture suggesting the tactile grain of wood. The building's walls consist almost entirely of floor-to-ceiling glass panels, currently revealing a warmly illuminated interior that glows with amber and golden light, the temperature feeling like sunshine or candlelight in contrast to the cool exterior atmosphere. Through the glass, listeners might imagine seeing decorative screens with geometric patterns, comfortable seating arrangements, and the gentle movement of interior lighting. The foreground presents a large reflecting pool with mirror-still water that perfectly duplicates the building's image, creating vertical symmetry. Delicate wisps of mist rise from the water's surface, feeling soft and ethereal like morning fog, adding mystery to the scene. Dark polished stone paving surrounds the pool, its surface appearing smooth and cool to the touch.
The project is located in the tourism section of West Mountain's Dian Lake, Kunming. Facing the West Mountain, the site offers an open view and is surrounded by an abundance of ecological resources. The project leverages the height differences of the area and its surrounding landscape resources. The architect strives to create vertical buildings with both style and functions, and to build an open community that shares both urban like neighbourhood and the green resources of nature at the same time.