Residential complex in Changzhou by David Chipperfield

In the six-million-strong capital of Zhejiang province, located 200 km southwest of Shanghai, a collection of luxurious family homes designed by British architect David Chipperfield has emerged in the Qiantang River delta. The entire residential complex benefits from the proximity to the picturesque XiXi natural park situated in a coastal bay, where lush vegetation has mingled with human-shaped cultural landscapes for centuries. In this area, there is the Grand Canal, which is the longest artificial waterway in the world, stretching all the way to Beijing.
Chipperfield drew inspiration for his design from fishing villages, artistic settlements, and ancient temples. The two-story blocks clad in dark stone blend into the dense reeds around the winding water channels. The twenty houses (with multiple residential units) are irregularly distributed around two pedestrian streets. Access for cars and parking is provided underground.
In Hangzhou, this is already Chipperfield's second project, as he completed a set of twelve apartment buildings 'Ninetree Village' here seven years ago, set in a valley and surrounded by a bamboo forest.