“In a land far, far away live five sisters. All They are the same and they are all different. They are all beautiful, some more than others. One is more nervous and the other is calmer. Another is elegant and another even more so. Depends. They are all unequal, but also similar,” Carlos Castanheira describes his recent project with metaphors.
And date: “December 10, 2023, Tavira”. Indeed, from the south of Portugal, the ningbo city It is about 15 thousand kilometers away.
In distant China, Álvaro Siza and his disciple celebrate their most recent work: Dongqian Lake Club Houses.
These homes were commissioned from Portuguese partners to enjoy a bucolic landscape.
“They live next to a lake, with their feet, almost, in the water. They do not live without each other, but they are independent. They form a set that only exists togetherthey intertwine arm in arm, facing the horizon. They see each other and see each other again in the reflecting pool, right in front,” continues the pen of Castanheira, who since he was a student has collaborated with Siza on several projects in Portugal and, above all, abroad.
Both architects share the authorship of the China Design Museum (2012 – 2018, in Hangzhou) which houses original pieces from the Bauhaus School; of the Saya Park Art Pavilion (2015 – 2018) in South Korea, a viewpoint that rests subtly on the landscape; and of mausoleo Chia Ching (2015 – 2017) in Taiwan, among others.
They also planned the Huamao Museum of Art and Education (2014 – 2020), a small elegant building whose wavy shape hovers above the ground. This commission is contemporary with that of these five houses. Both in Ningbo, a few blocks separate them.
Ten years passed from the first stroke on paper that Siza scribbled until she was able to see the five houses upside down on the water. “They reflect and reflect. They absorb light in different ways, they are different. They radiate light and beautyeach one, and even more so all together. They are closed to almost everyone, causing enormous curiosity in those who want to know them,” describes Castanheira.
The buildings They line up outlining the shore of the lake and taking the north-south orientation in its longitudinal axis, which coincides with the entrances and patios, although its footprint is almost square rectangular in proportion. The neighboring houses also strictly respect the compass rose.
“For some, however, they open up, creating even more curiosity to know them. From a almost immaculate whitethey create other targets by the movement of their volumes – describes the author -. Accentuating shadows, reflecting light, its volumes move. Constantly”.
The slope of the land leaves the ground floor of the houses partially buried, which are at their greatest height towards the riverbank. The four stacked floors rise on a kind of foundation that links them at the same time it is dismantled into “party” walls that seek water.
“Apertures allow light to enter inside, controlled by shading that almost looks like eyelashes. There is something anthropomorphic. And little by little we are discovering them, in their angles, in their curves, in the open and in the closed planes. It was we who created them, but it was they who told us how they wanted to be,” he continues.
Each of the homes has between 1700 and 2100 m2. For visually lighten its weight, the designers articulated the blocks into several volumes. Soft lines and harder geometries show Siza’s creative hand.
Castanheira continues: “All the same, but all different. The desire to be different was not an obligation, but a necessity. There is no equal beauty. Or repetitive. They are all equal in their differences, because they are all in a different place. There so close together, but each one on her different throne, guarding the water mirror.”
Courtyards protected by white walls define a abstract landscapecontrolled, and create a dynamic atmosphere thanks to the shadows and shine left by the path of the sun.
In turn, eaves, retreats and semi-covers protect each of the windows from the sun.
“I recently went to visit them. They didn’t exist yet and they already surprised me. And they continue to surprise. I seek to know them, rotating around them or entering them. It is not easy to absorb them,” he continues.
Very sumptuous, the homes are organized as superimposed houses for family, guests and service staff. They have generous living rooms, large support areas, a gym, a cinema room, a meditation room, a wine cellar and a swimming pool.
“They have always had different personalities, but now that is more evident. They are already more grown and their shapes are almost completely formed. Certainly, each one will have its own life. Your independent way of being. Time will bring maturity and, together, they will continue to surprise. “That is the function of beauty,” the author closes.
Technical sheet
Location. Ningbo, Zhejiang (China) Authors. Architects Álvaro Siza Vieira and Carlos Castanheira Project Coordination. Luís Reis, Nuno Campos and Pedro Carvalho
Project team. Elisabete Queirós, Isabel Carvalho, Simon Liu, Rita Saturnino, Sara Pinto, Diana Vasconcelos, Rita Ferreira, Sara Franco, Stefano Dettori, Francesca Tiri, Erika Musci, Susana Oliveira, Sofia Conceição, Inês Bastos
Modelos 3D. Pedro Afonso Local partners. Zhejiang Huazhi Architecture Design Ltd; Dirección de obra, Chunyi Liu, Architect Paisajismo. Design institute of Landscape & Architecture China Academy of Art Ingeniería. Hangzhou MJP Mechanical & Electrical Design Consultant Ltd Constructor. Zhejiang Wanhua Construction Ltd
Surface. 9850 m2 Year. 2014-2024 Photographs. HouPictures