One of the important features of the building is the triple height space. The architect blend the spatial quality of Chinese garden with full richness into such a small apartment, transforming the space complexity from 2d to 3d, creating a dynamic moving experience in the project.

Divide elements of a traditional garden and combine them vertically in one living space.

In the most of traditional Chinese gardens, the space is quite limited. So one should find a way to squeeze all the natural elements into this small plot. There are several techniques used in Chinese landscape design, which could also be implemented into interior design. "Seeing grandness through smallness" is one of the most important techniques. One should experience much bigger space in a small plot. 

In this project, designer used many movable doors and furniture to transform space form closed to open, creating much more dynamic space experience in small scale. People can see different things by walking along the space. This is called "moving by seeing" in garden design. All rooms become only a fracture of the whole experience, creating a holistic opera experience altogether. The strategies of " winded walking circulations" as well as "borrowing views from outside" are also heavily implemented in the project.

All rooms become only a fracture of the whole experience, creating a holistic opera experience altogether. 

"The Story of the Western Wing" as one of the greatest operas of all time, is also introduced in the project. We want to recreate the scenes of this opera in this tiny nutshell. For instance, "TING", meaning pavilion in Chinese, is recreated on the top of the space, becoming a social space for chatting and relaxing. "Tai", meaning podium, is created for the living room, providing TV and other entertainment system. "Shui" meaning water, indicates the whole walking experience in the apartment.

The whole project is a collage of traditional Chinese garden and modern city life, trying to integrate the laidback ethos from Chinese landscape design into the fast-pace modern life.

Project details

Name: Vertical Garden
Location: Shanghai
Type: Residential-Apartment
Size: 35sqm
Year: 2017
Status: Built
Design Team: Shanghai HuaDu Architecture & Urban Design Group (HDD)