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A Dream of Red Mansions
Our proposal is inspired by the title of one of China’s Four Great Classical Novels - A Dream of Red Mansions. Our design is an allegory for escaping the outside world and entering a dream like existence in the pavilions, halls and gardens of this grand estate. Embracing nature and the ancient trees in this unique place is fundamental to our proposal. Interaction with and proximity to the beauty, resilience and polychromy of wild nature is fundamental to our wellbeing and positively impacts human spirit and emotional resilience. We propose a collection of similar but distinct buildings made of earth and timber, new mountains and forests, in close dialogue with water. We use water and sculpture as navigating devices, acting as physical points of engagement within the landscape. Our proposal harks back to the tradition of the locale, whilst creating a distinctly modern intervention to support the physical and emotional wellbeing of all.
The project was entered into an International RIBA Design Competition.
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Inspired by the local Danxiashan landscape, our family of distinct but related buildings assume the character of accumulated natural formations. Cliffs and valleys in shades of red and brown, occupied by tree-like timber structures.
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The house uses axiality and proportion to balance the scale of landscape, room and body.
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A collection of cabins scattered like leaves in the forest. An overturned truss, a familiar form inhabiting an unfamiliar axis. A platform amongst the canopy, a hiding place, a lantern.
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