The demonstration area of Xihu Real Estate Wulin Vilia, designed by GOA, opened at the end of September. Located along the Dongxin River in Gongshu District, the project is among Hangzhou’s first pilot sites for the “Quality Housing” initiative. Coordinating master layout, spatial sequence and facade expression, the design maximizes river views for residents within site constraints, delivering a rare low-density residential community in the city centre.

Drawing upon the riverside landscape externally and forming a multi-level garden internally, the project embeds nature into daily dwelling. An L-shaped raised slab on the northwest integrates parking and supporting amenities. Small high-rises are arranged in a scattered pattern along the road, reserving an uninterrupted riverfront frontage for stacked villas. The raised slab together with ground-floor voids creates varied level changes, allocating communal ground space to courtyard life.

In terms of spatial experience, the sequence transitions from an expansive entrance lobby into a deep, layered circulation. Leveraging the elevation difference of the slab, water is channelled into the site to form a water curtain, while stepped terraces soften the boundary between architecture and landscape. The northwest elevated void platform extends the arrival sequence to a hundred-metre-long coherent ceremonial approach. Above the slab, the entrance floor of small high-rises features a 5.5m-high void. It enriches the spatial hierarchy of the community and lifts the viewing level of the lowest residential floors to broaden sightlines toward the river.

The facade balances oriental ambience and constructability. The main street-side entrance serves as a focal point. Its 66-metre-long celadon portal draws inspiration from “rain over Hangzhou”. Staggered protruding terracotta panels sketch intermittent “rain streaks” under shifting light and shadow; the colour was finalized after dozens of sample rounds and one year of iterative calibration. The facades of small high-rises take vertical stone panels as the backbone, with cantilevered curved glass volumes attached, achieving a light appearance and a clear structural logic. To guarantee the final built outcome, 1:1 physical mock-ups were erected for critical details including curved corners of small high-rises. Designers refined particulars repeatedly to reconcile gaps between design intent and construction execution.