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Dongqian Lake Club Houses by Álvaro Siza Vieira & Carlos Castanheira

Álvaro Siza Vieira

One of the most important contemporary European architects about the new-build project Dongqian Lake Club Houses in Ningbo, China:

"Architecture is something that changes the landscape, and from this point of view its significance for life in the city, it should be considered."

Collage of the iinsights abaout Dongqian Lake Club House

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19 valuable project [insights] pages about the new Dongqian Lake Club Houses in Ningbo. Find out everything – from design to construction, to comprehensive detailed solutions.

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Five sisters

They look similar, yet they are all different: five sisters, five white villas lined up on the shore of Dongqian Lake in China. After Portuguese architects Álvaro Siza Vieira and Carlos Castanheira had already completed the Huamao Museum of Art Education on the site, they now followed up with the completion of five abstract residential buildings. By using the synonym ‘sisters’, the architects emphasise the independence of the buildings and their unity as an ensemble.

  • Dongqian Lake Club Houses: Five white villas lined up along the lake shore.

    Despite being identical in size, function and materials, the five white villas each have their own individual character thanks to their different geometries. Photo: © Bowen Hou, Peking, CN

  • Dongqian Lake Club Houses: Five white residential buildings on the lake shore, with a black facated museum in the background.

    Five white residential buildings on the lake shore, with the Huamao Museum of Art Education (MoAE) and its black facade in the background. Photo: © Bowen Hou, Peking, CN

  • Site plan of the “Dongqian Lake Education Forum” project

    Part of a large master plan
    In Ningbo, a metropolis south of Shanghai, lies the large Dongqian Lake on the outskirts of the city. The five new villas, like the museum, are part of a large urban master plan.

  • Three-storey white residential buildings „Dongqian Lake Club Houses“

    Design concept ‘Five Sisters’
    The three-storey residential buildings are like five sisters with individual characters – similar, but not identical. They are similar in size, function and materials, but differ in their geometry and window design. Photo: © Bowen Hou, Peking, CN

  • Dongqian Lake Club Houses: white villas with outdoor pool

    The villas offer plenty of space for residents, guests and staff. There are also indoor and outdoor pools and various entertainment rooms such as the media room. Photo: © Bowen Hou, Peking, CN

  • Dongqian Lake Club Houses: Cubature, light and shadow of the white residential buildings

    Cubature, light and shadow
    The homogeneous white plaster surfaces highlight the striking geometries and fine details of the buildings. The incident sunlight reinforces this effect: the appearance of the buildings changes depending on the time of day and weather conditions. Photo: © Bowen Hou, Peking, CN

  • Dongqian Lake Club Houses: Solid construction with EWIS from Sto

    Construction
    The five residential buildings were constructed using solid construction methods with insulated cladding. The StoTherm Varioa facade insulation system with EPS insulation was chosen to insulate the reinforced concrete walls. The multi-layer facade structure is finished with a homogeneous surface of facade plaster and coating on the outside.

  • Dongqian Lake Club Houses: gleaming white facades with StoColor Dryonic®

    White, framed surfaces
    The white façade surfaces are the most striking feature and also the connecting element of the buildings. The white does not blend into the sky. Instead, the monumental surfaces are framed by fine grey lines at the base and attic.

  • White facade surfaces

    with StoColor Dryonic® protective coating

    The white facades are the hallmark of the five residential buildings. Due to their proximity to the lake, the buildings are exposed to high humidity, which condenses on the façade, especially at night.

    In order to keep the surfaces bright white for as long as possible and prevent algae and fungus growth, the façades were coated with a bionic façade paint: StoColor Dryonic® ensures that dew and rain are drained away from the façade and dry quickly. This means that algae and fungi have no food source.

    Dongqian Lake Club Houses: Close-up of white facade coated with StoColor Dryonic® facade paint
    Photo: © Bowen Hou, Peking, CN
  • Illustration showing an example drying process for standard paint (left) and StoColor Dryonic® (right)
    Illustration showing an example drying process for standard paint (left) and StoColor Dryonic® (right)
    Fog-drinking beetle
    Fog-drinking beetle: Its armour structure with microscopic nubs is divided into hydrophilic peaks and hydrophobic valleys – inspiration for Dryonic® products.

Game of the opposites

The museum and residential buildings skilfully play with several contrasts:

  • While the museum rises as a tower-like structure on a triangular floor plan with rounded corners, the five villas are strung together like pearls on the shore of Dongqian Lake.

  • Light and dark: The dark, windowless shell of the museum changes between black and silver depending on the incidence of light and the viewing angle. The white residential villas shine brightly like a string of pearls.

  • Closed and open: Except for its glazed ground floor, the museum is a closed structure. The white plastered villas, on the other hand, open generously onto the lake and offer a wide view of the surrounding area.

  • Zwei unterschiedliche Architekturen im Zusammenspiel: Museum
    und Wohnbauten
    und Wohnbauten

  • The snow-white residential buildings with their striking projections and recesses also contrast with the surrounding buildings. Siza says of the ambivalent relationship between blending in and contrasting:

    "Sometimes it is not only legitimate but also a valid contribution to contrast. On other occasions, however, continuity may be the main focus. When Le Corbusier built his famous house in Poissy, the Villa Savoye, it was completely different from everything around it, and no one would think of saying that it was a failure or an exaggeration."

    Long-term plan for the “Dongqian Lake Education Forum” project
    Like the museum, the villas are part of a large urban development master plan.

Construction sign

Country
China
City
Ningbo
Year Completed
2024
Architect
Álvaro Siza Vieira & Carlos Castanheira, Porto, PT
Applicator
Shaoxing Dihong Building Materials Co., Ltd, Shaoxin, CN
Products
Facade insulation system (StoTherm Vario), biomimetic facade paint (StoColor Dryonic®)
Photos
Bowen Hou, Peking, CN

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19 valuable project [insights] pages about the new Dongqian Lake Club Houses in Ningbo. Find out everything – from design to construction, to comprehensive detailed solutions.

Request your Case Study
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