Maillen Hotel & Appartment

Shenzhen, China

Photo © Wu Qiwei

Architects: Urbanus Architecture & Design

Location: Yanshan Road, Shekou, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, China
Year: 2011
Client: China Merchants Real Estate Co. Ltd.
Description of Structural System: Special-shape Column Frame Structure
Façade: Aluminum Plate, Paint, Granite, Aluminum Extrusion, Glass, flat-rolled steel
Roof: Granite
Design Director: Meng Yan, Zhu Jialin
Architecture Design: Zheng Ying, Huang Zhiyi, Yao Xiaowei | Zuo Lei, Liu Xiaoqiang, Yie Peijun, Li Da, Shen Yandan, Ji Yuyu, Zhang Zhen, Liu Liu, Liu Zirong, Xia Miao, Yuan Yi, Guo Donghai
Landscape Design: Xing Guo, Wei Zhijiao | Ding Yu, Cedric Yu, Li Jing, Huang Yihong, Liao Zhixiong
Interior Design: Horizontal Interior Design Shenzhen Co., Ltd.
Façade Design: Shenzhen Fangda Decoration Engineering Co., Ltd.
(LDI) Structure/ MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing): The Architectural Design & Research Institute of Guangdong Province, Branch of Shenzhen
Façade Contractor: Shenzhen Yueyuan Decoration Engineering co., Ltd.
Design Period: 2005–2009
Construction: 2009–2011
Site Area: 13,198m2
Floor Area: 21,540m2
Photographer: Photographer Wu Qiwei

Located at the base of a hillside in Shekou, Shenzhen, the total area of the site is roughly 13,200 square meters, with 25,100 square meters of building area programmed as residential apartments and a hotel.

The project returns to fundamental ideas in Chinese living as expressed by the saying “hills outside hills, and gardens inside gardens,” an idea referring to a continuous and occasionally repeating rhythm of space and form found in many traditional villages and mountainous landscapes. The relationship between nature and building is blurred in an attempt to create a new kind of urban village.

Located on the foot of the mountain which is called “south mountain”, the site is terraced and sloped. The buildings gently grow out from the landscape, taking on the angular characteristic of the geography while offering ponds and courtyards to the residents. Views from the units extend to several smaller courtyards where bamboo, pine, and plum blossom can be found. In the center of the site, a modest walkway forms a link over the water, bridging the interconnected garden.