Text description provided by the architects. The 1st phase of Wuxi Yangshan rural life complex project that is known as 'Oriental Garden' is located in the peach town of China, Yangshan, Huishan, Wuxi. This is the first complex project in China to demonstrate and display leisure life styles in countryside. The total planning area of the project is approximately 6246 acres. The construction began in April 2013 and is scheduled to be completed within five years. With the background of creating 'beautiful countryside' and the core target of 'rural lifestyles', Oriental Garden tries to integrate itself with the development of Yangshan and executes the concept of protecting ecology and environment throughout the design process. The project includes modern agriculture, leisure tourism, and rural life community three plates. The main planning involves rural tourism project cluster, rural life themed park, and healthy lifestyle building cluster, agricultural industry project cluster, and rural life community project cluster and so on.
The rural life pavilion is located in the demonstration zone of rural life complex phase 1. Planning-wise, the demonstrate zone tries to keep the original spatial shape and scale of Shifang Village, maximize the use of the existing road and site system. Via the protection and renovation of the original village, it extends the existing rural life scenes. There are 10 individual buildings spread in the demonstration zone (7 are reserved old building, 3 are new built). Old and new buildings echo to each other forming a new spatial and landscape imagery, creating a idyllic life scenario.
The design target of the rural life pavilion is by fully exploring the landscape on site, to seek the balance between the new built and the environment; by fully respecting the primitive natural and cultural resources, to create buildings that belong to the specific site and time, so as to provide proper spatial shape for the new-born 'rural life' life style. The idea of the rural life pavilion spatial constitute comes from the traditional architectural space prototype --garden space, which is enclosed by solid wall on east and west but open space from north to south. The facade design of the east and west wall is featured with a local symbolic element -- peach blossom. With the cladding of the hollow aluminum board with peach blossom pattern applied, the building appearance looks more variable. Simultaneously, the building is given with dual nature: confident yet delicate at daytime, romantic and fantastic at night. The building responses to the tradition and local culture while at the same time reveals a contemporary building style.