Xixi Apartment Buildings Surrounded by a Water Garden and Wild Landscape

Apartment buildings surrounded by a water garden and wild landscape (1)

Xixi Project is a “village” with apartment buildings recently completed by David Chipperfield Architects. Xixi is located near Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, China.

Description by  David Chipperfield: Xixi, a national wetland park located on the outskirts of Hangzhou, is a built landscape and an area of nature, which has been shaped by man for over a thousand years. The omnipresent relationship between landscape, architecture, and water is key to the atmosphere in Xixi. This atmosphere has been integrated into a new development of apartment buildings.

Apartment buildings surrounded by a water garden and wild landscape (7) The Xixi apartment buildings are surrounded by a water garden, which, as a reference to the wetland park, is a mostly wild landscape. In contrast to these green surroundings, the buildings appear as dark stone volumes embedded in the water garden.

Apartment buildings surrounded by a water garden and wild landscape (8)

They are, as is typical for villages in Xixi, placed on a stone plinth that sits in the water. This plinth forms the base of a village group with various levels, walls, and balustrades creating a sequence of exterior spaces, which enable access to the buildings. The interiors are characterised by floating spaces. Room height windows allow for natural light and views over the water garden.

Date: 2007–2015
Gross floor area: 11,800 m²
Client: Hangzhou Westbrook Investment Co. Ltd.
Architect: David Chipperfield Architects
Design: Mark Randel – Partner
Project management: Libin Chen – Partner
Project architects: Ilona Priwitzer, Manh Kinh Tran, Sascha Jung, Samson Adjei Contact architect: ECADI (East China Architecture and Design Institute)
Landscape architect: Belt & Collins
Structural engineer: ECADI
Project management: Hangzhou Westbrook Investment Co. Ltd.
Photography: Simon Menges

Apartment buildings surrounded by a water garden and wild landscape (2)

Apartment buildings surrounded by a water garden and wild landscape (3)

Apartment buildings surrounded by a water garden and wild landscape (5)

Apartment buildings surrounded by a water garden and wild landscape (6)

Apartment buildings surrounded by a water garden and wild landscape (4)

Apartment buildings surrounded by a water garden and wild landscape (9)

Scroll to Top