Amphibianarc
HanHai luxury
condominiums
words: amPHiBianarc arcHitects
photos: Hejia dai
HanHai luxury condominiums consists of 215,000 m2 of
built area divided up into twelve high-rise residential towers with
subterranean parking, two semi-public club houses and a nine
classroom kindergarten arranged around a central garden space,
carefully sited for solar exposure and views of the adjacent water-
way. The residences are organized by unit size, with towers con-
taining 90 m2, 180 m2, 220 m2, 330 m2, and 650 m2 units each
respectively. The club houses include amenities such as a café,
tea house, gymnasiums, locker rooms and a pool, and retail estab-
lishments. The main club house will also function as the project’s
sales center on an interim basis. Coupled with the kindergarten
facility, these elements provide many amenities on-site and all
within walking distance to the residents.
The project is located next to the city’s CBD area, and it is
positioned to compete in the region’s high-end residential
demographic, with the goal of becoming a leader in this project
type. As such, our design looks to an amenity and feature rich
project which provides a unique and luxurious environment to
attract an exclusive clientele.
The design draws inspiration from concept of the “cloud”. It
represents the design concept of combining nature with human
lift. Meanwhile, the design team also extends the concept of
all-intelligent “cloud” community to the architectural design
visually. The building facade design uses large areas of dark
glass that stand in sharp contrast with the sleek white terraces
and balconies, highlighting a spirit of dynamic lightness for the
overhangs visually. The tower building’s design features are
extended to the design of the three facility buildings, which also
emphasize organic shapes and sleek lines. Each building looks
like a group of peaceful cloud in sky.
The primary consideration for the building design was to create
a residential development which set itself apart from the
typical high rise residential complex found in the City. This goal
is accomplished on two fronts, by architectural design and by
programming. The programming is accomplished through the
inclusion of high-end luxury amenities within the units and the
site, and by providing residential units with large areas. Through
the architecture we break down the massing and repetitiveness
usually found in this type of construction by producing visual
ambiguity in the size and type of residential units from an exterior
view. This ambiguity is created by giving the residential towers
the illusion of large expansive glass walls through the use of a
hybrid curtain wall system of glass and aluminum panels. This
hybrid system is used to mask the punched stacked openings of
typical residential construction and blur the distinction between
solid wall and opening. The ambiguity is reinforced by the exterior
balconies and patios, which swoop from floor to floor, turn around
corners at different points, and extend in various lengths along
the building faces.
The residential units have been designed for privacy and comfort
with ample opportunity for cross ventilation and multiple spaces
with good solar exposure. The large private terraces and small
balconies bring the landscape to each unit, and the terraces allow