Located in Yixing Yangxian Eco-tourism Resort, Yaohu Town is a benchmark for rebuilding leisure tourism resort towns in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai after Wuzhen and Gubei Water Town. There are dense bamboo forests and tea fields here, the forest coverage rate is as high as 80%, and the content of negative oxygen ions is maintained at more than 18,000 / cm³ all year round, which is known as the first natural oxygen bar in East China area, and is an excellent place for leisure vacation and spiritual recuperation. This time, we were invited to create a rainy lake leisure park covering an area of about 200 acres between natural landscapes and rivers, making it as a core of small town life through a relaxed and relaxing holiday lifestyle.
The first time we came here, the lake water of the distant mountains, tea fields, and bamboo sea converges, like a "pure land for the soul on the hill", everything is right. Our notes "Revisit-Jixiang Hills" recorded: Discover a secluded place, even in winter, there is beautiful small scenery and small expectations, waiting for us to measure step by step, to discover the subtle small beauty between nature and self. Hidden places in hills and valleys, seasons and time, surprises and expectations under the power of nature...
These delicate perceptions are different from the magnificent Taihu Lake or the towering Yellow Mountain, while the small-scale natural landscape can have a deep dialogue with heart, which is a unique scenery. Between these hills, we don't have to create anything, just be a tour guide, or a "magnifying glass of scenery", so that people can discover the beauty of this land.
There are three water system veins with different temperaments in the base: wide lakes, scattered pools, and hidden wetlands; Mangosteen forest with different sense of scene; Forest field resources with distinct seasons: the beauty of wabi-sabi of chestnut forest, the native beauty of metasequoia forest, and the beauty of the earth of tea fields; Rolling natural hills and valleys, as well as human traces with time and space memories. We advocate the modern life aesthetics of nature and casualness, innocence and simplicity, and hope to build a high-quality leisure and vacation lifestyle between natural landscapes and rivers, and all behaviors are based on site resources.
On the west side of the park, the original appearance of the valley surrounded by bamboo forests is a weed and connects with the planned road. The rolling hills and sunken valleys form a stable and stable spatial structure. Therefore, the valley has become a window for people to explore this nature, and the main functions of reach, parking and hiking are the main functions. It is also a forest station, connected to the newly planned town commercial street in the south, and the hiking trail to the north, slowly extending into the bamboo forest and deep into the valley. At the end of the valley are the embankments and water towers, and standing at the entrance of the park valley, you can see the newly renovated water towers like a lamp, peeking out from behind the stretched embankments, guiding the way ahead in this field.
Behind the dike, there is a natural reservoir called Sunny Rainy Lake, the water is as clear as a mirror, reflecting a bamboo forest. "This lake is not big or small, just enough to hold the worries of the day", this is the emotion that pops up in our minds when we first see it.
The dike and abandoned water tower on the west side of the lake are the only human traces of the site, and it records the story of what happened in this land. Behind the huge spiritual significance of the old water tower, the main structure that has experienced many vicissitudes, as well as the various conflicts with the old water tower after the water level rises, are all key issues that we need to consider. At the same time, it is just right here to take in the lake and mountains, so we decided to keep and use them as an important leisure and viewing function by the lake: knowing the four seasons and watching the rain and shine.
After multiple demonstrations, we decided to superimpose a viewing function that can be seen from a high altitude on the basis of strengthening the structure of the original water tower, and put in modern elements that echo the old water tower. The observation tower forms an upward force that points to the sky. The new design seems to give it "new life", and we named it "Sunny Rainy Tower", hoping that it will continue the memory of the site, protect the lakeside life, and continue to witness and protect the present and future of this wilderness. Along the bamboo forest by the lake, we conform to the texture of the site and build a free walking system, allowing people to easily contact this nature and shorten the distance between people and the lake.
The vast bamboo forest and the abundant seasonal forest form the vegetation skeleton in the site. We sorted out and classified the plants in each area, and planned a variety of spatial experiences such as forest trails, understory sites, and open camping areas to ensure the healthy growth of the forest belt, so as to enjoy the changes of the four seasons in nature. We converted the abandoned horse barn in the forest into a public toilet to provide infrastructure for hikers, and converted the farmhouse next to the tea field at the far end into a tea house, adding to the diversity of town life.
Throughout the woodland area, the landscape intervenes in a low-intervention way. According to the current situation of each tree, existed road and house, let the new function be integrated into the original natural environment in the most natural and low-carbon way.
The excavation and application of local materials has always been our design philosophy. From ancient times to the present, Yixing's ceramics industry is very mature and famous. Therefore, in the hard material system of the park, we have made extensive use of Yixing locally fired ceramic tiles, ceramic tiles and local stones to build the foundation of the entire park materials; It not only shows the regional culture, but also brings a warm texture to the venue. The transformation of the special embankment, through a collage of terracotta panels of different colors, presents subtle and moving texture changes.
Completed at the end of 2022, the project adds more scenes and fun to the lives of the residents of the surrounding towns, and reconnects the relationship between nature and humanity, past and present, and becomes a new tourist destination.The Yaohu town of Qingyuhu Park seems to represent a design approach. It brings users, designers and on-site construction personnel closer together, and everyone needs to be completely honest with every grass, every tree, every existing resource on the site, and come up with a solution. Although this method is a little clumsy and full of uncertainty, it is this attitude that allows everyone to find a more suitable picture of life in the process of building the project.
We want to give new sensory qualities on top of resources. A bright light, a sense of security in the wilderness, also carries the local temperature.Returning to nature during the day, back to life at night, and emotionally caring for each town's residents.
