W.DESIGN
COFCO Ruifu Residence
W.DESIGN
4. August 2015
All photos courtesy of W.DESIGN
As Wang Changling–a renowned poet of the Tang Dynasty– illustrated in his work Shige (Chinese for Poetical Patterns), the art of writing a poem involves three individual layers: landscape description as the physical layer; inception of emotions from the landscape as the emotional layer; and the expression of one's own emotions as the emphatic layer.
The integration of these three layers into the shaping of space is a refined interpretation that suits perfectly the tier-by-tier progressive atmosphere created for the COFCO Ruifu Residence.
Located inside the Beijing Sun River Luxury Villa, COFCO Ruifu has been praised as an outstanding high-end luxury mansion in 2015, establishing itself at the forefront of courtyard villa design. Both, the interior decoration and the furnishing for 500B–the representative building of the complex–were designed by W.DESIGN. Inspired by Chinese classical gardens, the floor plan presents a graceful disorder art method to establish spatial order. This brings into life a magnificent atmosphere taken from Chinese northern mansions, as well as the charm from gardens south of the Yangtze River.
The atrium was conceived as a three halls design concept taken from traditional courtyard houses. The porch, patio and bedrooms were created following a mutual state of harmony. Rocks and water current dotted in the space blend oriental philosophy and arts into contemporary design. The water element is used as a guiding thread to divide the space, heightening the dynamism of the rooms, as well as conveying unique life wisdom into them.
Once inside the residence, the dining hall and living room on the first floor offer a significant depth of field. As an extension of the courtyard, the design of the living room highlights a natural and harmonic ambience. Thus, marble and timber are here noted as important inspiration elements for the architect.
A beautifully erected staircase formed by circular shapes connects the second floor with the first basement. Here, the stillness of circular shapes and the movement of water current intertwine, not only as a structural symbol but as a spatial area that shapes up a unified relation from top to bottom, combining humanity, architecture and nature into one.
The spiral staircase extends up to the second floor, where the master and twin bedrooms are located. A stove in between functions as a transition medium. This area displays landscape-painting masterpieces and it’s also populated with colorful furniture, all of which contributes to an ambience of harmony between stillness and dynamism.
On the other side, the spiral staircase comes down to a second basement, conceived as a vertical library by the architect. A crystal-like water pond mirrors the surrounding book collections.
Continuity between the living room at the first basement, the external courtyard and the inner space is achieved through the exchange of natural materials. The inner space uses white and gray as predominant colors, cleverly mixed with black stones, ebony black wood and metallic copper, presenting unique textures and elegant, graceful tones.
PROJECT CREDITS
Completion time: June 2015
Project type: Model residence
Client: COFCO Ruifu
Project area: 1,500 m2
Chief designer: Wu Bin
Design team: Hong Kong W. Architectural Design Co., Ltd.