Rachel 住宅 by Chester Goh is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 A' Design Award 银奖 in 建筑与结构设计 Competition Category.

银建筑· 2021

Rachel 住宅

by Chester Goh

Client: CE-ST Design Studio

A' Design Award 银奖 Winner in 建筑 Category

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Colors

The Design

About Rachel 住宅

Rachel 是一栋位于中国中山市的四层别墅，围绕中央水景庭院布局。首层空间向庭院敞开，促进家庭成员间的互动交流，而上层的卧室则保持私密性。错落有致的卧室体块构成简洁现代的立面，并框取出景观花园的美景。悬挑阳台同时充当首层露台的遮阳构件。大地色系的木材与天然灰色花岗岩相搭配。大面积落地窗则有助于室内空间的通风采光。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 银奖

Rachel 住宅是 A' Design Award 银奖得主，这是授予顶级、华美而令人印象深刻的设计的极为崇高的认可。银奖得主是极其卓越、极具创造力的作品，展现出其设计师杰出的专业技能、才华与敏锐。预计Rachel 住宅将成为一件出色的典范之作，兼具非凡的专业性与深刻的创新性。这件赢得 A' Design Award 银奖的设计是一项备受瞩目、令人钦佩的发明，造福并拓展艺术、科学、设计和技术的边界。Rachel 住宅是一件令人羡慕的创作，它唤起渴望，带来积极的情感，并激发惊叹与赞叹。

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Rachel House was designed to ensure an open environment for the family to interact and enjoy the central water courtyard on the ground level while maintaining their privacy on the upper floor bedrooms. The clean and modern facade is derived from juxtaposing bedroom cubes where one can enjoy framed views out into the lush oriental-themed landscape garden. The ground floor spaces open into the tranquility of the courtyard and the sound of flowing water.
Dimensions & Packaging: Site area of 1000m2, Building area of 1300m2
Tags: Architecture, Residential, Villa, House, Facade, Modern, Contemporary
Production Technology: Taking inspiration from nature - an earthy yet subtle color palette was proposed. The combination of the earth-colored wood with the natural grey granite creates a unique rhythm throughout the surface of the facade. Large floor to ceiling windows assists tremendously with the ventilation of the spaces according to the weather conditions of the location with ample overhang in necessary places and even vertical walls on the facade for shielding against weather and sunlight.
Design Challenge: The challenge was to create a seamless blend between architecture, interior, and nature. The design essence of the villa had to represent the client's admiration for nature and sustainability. Some of the rocks that were originally part of the site also are seen in the courtyard, making the landscaping more organic and natural. The courtyard of this project is derived from techniques used extensively in southern China, that features an aura of serenity and tranquillity in the courtyard space.
Research: The project aims to strike an intricate balance between privacy and social interaction. The building is also designed with multiple perspectives to enjoy the landscape of this courtyard. One of the main features includes the analysis of the technique Enframed Scenery in the Chinese Gardens, where one can enjoy multiple scenic framed perspectives of the courtyard. All the species of trees chosen are as per the Chinese seasonal trees. As a result, the scenery doesn’t remain stagnant all year long but reflects the four major seasons as they occur, further lending to the uniqueness of the house.
Inspiration: The intent was to create a space that would foster family bonding and create an overall warm and welcoming space for the users and their guests. Geometric blocks of different scales work together seamlessly on the facade. These staggered balcony blocks house the main bedrooms that are purposefully designed to overlook the central courtyard garden. The cantilevered balcony structure simultaneously acts as a sun-shading overhang for the ground floor terraces.
Project Duration: The project started in 2016 and finished in 2020 January in Zhongshan City, China.
Operation Flow: The four-storey villa is designed to embrace a central water garden courtyard. The main idea was to incorporate and align the lifestyle and personalities of the building users with those of the house, hence the introduction of straight lines and symmetrical shapes came into the picture. The clean and modern lines of the exterior reveal the concept of simplicity and subtleness.
Patents: Copyrights belong to Chester Goh, 2019
Team Members: Chester Goh;
Li Chujun;
Sun Xilin;
Carson Huang;
He Weiqiu
Image Credits: Image #1 : Photographer Zhang Chao / CE-ST 2019
Image #2 : Photographer Zhang Chao / CE-ST 2019
Image #3 : Photographer Zhang Chao / CE-ST 2019
Image #4 : Photographer Zhang Chao / CE-ST 2019
Image #5 : Photographer Zhang Chao / CE-ST 2019