Where does innovation in residential design originate?
The Jiangnan Villas project approaches innovation from multiple angles, including overall layout, boundary definition, and aesthetics. By responding to local urban characteristics and practical needs, it offers a fresh interpretation of the community “vacation vibe.”
Situated in Taizhou’s central business district, Jiangnan Villa spans both the northern and southern districts. With an overall plot ratio of approximately 1.35, it stands out as one of the few low-density developments in the city. From 2017 to 2020, Goa Elephant Design led the architectural design. The recently completed North District has garnered positive market feedback.
How can limitations become advantages in a mixed-use residential community?
In residential development, mixed product configurations—often called “high-low matching”—address concerns about disorder from crowd and spatial mixing. High-rise clusters open up ground space, gardens, sunlight, and airflow, while low-rise clusters retain a human scale reminiscent of traditional urban streets and alleys. With thoughtful spatial planning, these diverse building types can create vibrant public spaces that single-product communities rarely achieve.
Jiangnan Villas include high-rises, villas, stacked villas, and row houses. Architects follow the principle of “sharing and independence,” organizing diverse products within an orderly public system. High-rises, villas, and row houses are arranged sequentially from north to south. The high-rise buildings on the northern side form a perimeter group with Western-style houses and are strictly planned in single rows.
△ Overall Site Plan (North and South Districts)
A nearly one-hectare community garden lies south of the high-rises, serving as the green lung and sunlit heart of the neighborhood where residents can swim, exercise, and socialize. The quiet, intimate streets and alleys in the southern villa area offer a serene setting for more tranquil activities. These two distinct yet inviting outdoor spaces are shared by all community members.
The design of public spaces favors exploration over symmetry or unobstructed views. Garden paths are winding and semi-enclosed, leading to secluded pockets. The high-rise cluster features an open central swimming pool and landscaped courtyard. Dynamic shapes like triangles and wedges break the orthogonal grid, creating an active, engaging environment while maintaining clear zoning.
△ Public Space Layout and Form in the North District
How does the design redefine community boundaries within the urban fabric?
Traditional closed communities created isolated “urban islands.” Modern urban development values integration between city and residents, challenging architects to reconceptualize the boundaries between community and city with fresh perspectives.
At Jiangnan Villas, two entrances—one to the north and one to the south—are designed with contrasting characters: one dynamic, one tranquil. Different spatial strategies differentiate their interaction with the city.
△ North Entrance and Spatial Sequence in the North District
The northern boundary faces Jiajia Grand Roundabout and the business district, creating a vibrant and active atmosphere. The polygonal boundary includes support facilities such as pool changing rooms, kindergartens, and consultation rooms. The pedestrian entrance is located at a polygon corner, aligning an axis through the external city garden, entrance, internal community garden, and distant Jiajia Mountain, forming a profound visual corridor. This layout balances security with a psychological and dynamic connection between residents and the city.
The southern boundary abuts an urban branch road. Here, the main pedestrian entrance features a multi-level courtyard sequence, easing the transition from outside to inside. Stretching approximately 70 meters deep and 30 meters wide, this entrance sequence evokes the welcoming atmosphere of a resort hotel, utilizing framing and corridor techniques inspired by traditional Eastern approaches to nature.
△ North and South Entrances with Spatial Sequences
How does the community achieve aesthetic “re-innovation”?
Since the commercialization of housing in China, residential community design has evolved aesthetically over 30 years, with continuous innovation in every era.
Goa Elephant Design leads this evolution, from the classical beauty of Guihua City in 1998 to the modern style of Blue Qianjiang in 2005, and the community vacation essence defined by Binjiang No.1 Courtyard. Their work consistently shapes contemporary residential aesthetics.
△ Material Palette
Jiangnan Villa strives to create a distinctive aesthetic within budget constraints and coastal city context. The architects aim for a “modern,” “relaxed,” “warm,” and “vacation-like” atmosphere. Rather than using the typical cold gray tones common in luxury projects, they incorporate warmer, localized materials within a modernist aesthetic.
△ Rendering of the High-Area Garden
△ Architectural Reality
The facade design draws inspiration from tropical coastal resorts and rural villas, employing warm colors and natural materials to create a human-scale, inviting interface. Wood-grain aluminum panels frame the high-rise buildings and the eaves of stacked villas, while beige staggered stone is used for landscape walls.
Instead of standardized modern architecture details, the design deliberately separates building components to highlight regional and cultural qualities. Landscape details also innovate; for example, the swimming pool area avoids rigid, straight lines, adopting organic rounded polygon shapes for a lively effect.
△ Material Details
△ Overlapping Component Details
△ Pool Area
How does the design maximize experience in apartment layouts?
The stacked villa, or “Dieshu,” is the main residential type at Jiangnan Villas. As a product born to meet contemporary demands, innovative approaches to stacked villa layouts remain a key industry topic.
At Jiangnan Villas, architects carefully crafted the stacked villa layout focusing on “usability” and “comfort” for specific scenarios rather than mere functional presence. For example, terraces are positioned with exclusive roof access, effectively separating social spaces like family gatherings from private bedrooms, minimizing interference.
△ Dieshu Section
To realize these design concepts, layout design advanced to higher-end products. All layouts feature a double-track, three-panel sliding door between the dining and living areas and the outdoor space. This door can open by one-third width, allowing for a transparent, fluid indoor-outdoor connection.
△ Stacked Villa Facade
Thanks to the developer Langcheng’s expertise in furniture R&D and production, the construction, landscape, and interior teams collaborated closely, with workflows resembling an “integrated” development project. This synergy allows design value to be fully realized.
Drawing from the present, Jiangnan Villas offer fresh inspiration in spatial planning, urban boundaries, and aesthetic context—pushing the boundaries of residential community innovation.
Project Information
Location: Taizhou, Zhejiang
Design / Completion: 2018–2021
Building Area: 288,751 square meters
Image Credits: Goa Elephant Design, Jiangnan Villa, RIF Photography Studio
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