Located within the Tianren Shanshui Dadi Art Community near Guangzhou—a 15,000-acre health, vacation, and art destination—this building serves the elderly by embodying the community’s core spirit: rediscovering the value of life. It features a heavy, textured exterior that symbolizes the community’s strength. Its dynamic design reflects vitality and energy, creating a moving space that resonates deeply with the soul.
The site is a triangular valley covering approximately 1,000 square meters, bordered by three roads and featuring significant elevation changes. One edge meets a steep mountain retaining wall. The architectural plan follows the site’s contours, retreating evenly from the boundaries to create a trapezoidal footprint of about 500 square meters.
The design draws inspiration from the film “Smell the Fragrance to Know a Woman,” which tells the story of a blind officer on the brink of surrendering to despair, who regains his zest for life through the influence of a young man. A memorable scene features the male protagonist performing a tango in a restaurant, symbolizing the elegance and passion of life—this dance between man and woman inspires the building’s form and spirit.
The architectural form has been refined repeatedly, reducing it to two simple lines: a strong, straight wall rising 24 meters high, and a smooth, curved roof that transitions from horizontal to vertical. This interplay resembles a dance between masculine and feminine forms. The design harmonizes with the surrounding terrain, blending effortlessly with the natural mountains and forests to create a striking yet comfortable visual impact.
The building’s walls and roof are cast in plain concrete, showcasing the form with the simplest possible texture. Constructing the hyperbolic roof with its varying eave thickness posed a challenge. The design team provided an accurate 3D model, which the construction team broke down into appropriately sized support templates. CNC molding machines were then used onsite to craft each piece, resulting in perfectly shaped hyperbolic formwork.
Inside, concrete walls and roofs create a solemn atmosphere. Sunlight streams down through a 24-meter-high slit, casting light onto the floor and evoking the grandeur and tranquility of a Gothic cathedral. This space invites quiet reflection, reading, and contemplation.
Project Drawings
△ Hand-drawn sketch
△ Axonometric diagram
△ General layout plan
△ Elevation drawing
△ Section diagram
Project Information
Architect: Haoyuan Group Design Center
Area: 500 m²
Project Year: 2021
Photographers: Ye Wenrui, Lin Rujia, Zhang Jian
Principal Architect: Zhang Jian
Design Team: Chen Bai’an, Chu Hongfeng
Structural Team: Chen Fuxi, Zheng Shaochang, Zhou Yin, Gong Zhenfei, Tang Xi
Mechanical and Electrical Team: Huang Qiang, Wu Dengying, Mo Shenli, Ling Fenghua, Huang Zixuan, Yang Yang
Structural Design: Guangzhou Hanhua Architectural Design Co., Ltd
Mechanical and Electrical Design: Guangdong Huafang Engineering Design Co., Ltd
Construction Unit: Guangdong Tianren Shanshui Tourism Management Co., Ltd
Location: Guangzhou
Must log in before commenting!
Sign Up