The Charm of Zhoushan’s Cloud Mansion in China

Perched on a hill of Zhoushan in China, this mansion is quite unconventional where the living environment looked very scattered and inadequate to build houses due to the land’s topography. It was said that 70 per cent of these houses in the village had been excavated with only two houses left vacant for nearly 70 years. But modern design can lend a fresh approach to transform these two vacant houses into one accommodation by bringing a garden and courtyard walkway across a pebbled path to make the ambience more welcoming.

They called this mansion the “Zhoushan Clouds Court” and we can see how the name was roughly derived. Indeed, the completed Mansion seemed like a huge cloud floating in the blue sky and using the right construction material, can provide a secure living space yet one with a multi-angled view, will probably make this house rather unique.

Comprised of bedrooms which were previously two old houses, and the studio had been converted from an old kitchen with collapsed roof to one that’s been replaced by a glass ceiling

The all surround beautiful views of the island village on the hillside

However flawed the site may be, look hard enough and you might just see the beauty of this whole island village from a different perspective. The massive glass panels provide a multi-angle “view”, allowing occupants to look out to the vast sea view picturesque.

Designed by Chinese-based architectural design firm, Evolutionary Space, the new house spanned over 265 sqm of area size and the project was completed in 2017. Set on a beautiful location with a sea facing view, the house is elevated approximately four metres above sea level and constructed of stone and reinforced concrete as the main structure to resist the extreme weather caused by the ocean erosion. Thus, giving the house the firmness of structure and complete safety.

From architect design ideas and sketches to realisation

The architects had a very challenging time throughout the entire design process, considering that they had a very short lead time to draw up a concrete plan between three to five days to propose the architectural, interior and landscape design to their client. They also had to carefully select the most appropriate construction materials that would suit the weather condition of the mainland island, which the designer considered key.

Ground level courtyard

For homeowners who love greenery and enjoy luxuriating in the open spaces or love gardening, the courtyard is a secluded spot for barbecue or become outdoor spaces for rarefield plants or kitchen herbs. Slightly nearer the end of the peaceful courtyard where the tall ceiling holds a swing set for meditative breaks, or enjoy the touch of breeze sweeping across the lawn on a sultry afternoon.

Upper level courtyard

There are two courtyards: one on the lower level and the other on the top level (pictured above) facing the sea. Courtyards have very serene and enchanting spaces where outdoor living flow freely out of its door; they can also provide respite away from the common noise and clutter of the world outside. This upper courtyard is expansive enough to place an outdoor ping pong table alongside the massive dining table for recreation purpose.

Woolsey outdoor ping pong table

This Woosley Outdoor Ping Pong Table is made with high pressured laminate and is laminated to a Russian Birch core, which is applauded for its durability, moisture and scratch resistance properties. This outdoor table can be easily transformed from a dining or conference table in just a matter of seconds, and can be ready for gameplay. Quick and easy to mount or unmount via quick bolts to the table, the ping pong table comes with two custom-made Burmese teak and maple paddles and three-star Japanese balls.

While the interior of the bedroom is expansive to house a bath as well as large-scale furnishings. Imagine how it feels like to cosy up and feel warm sitting next to the large pane of unobstructed glass on a rainy day, and watch the rain pitter patter while sipping to a cup of hot camomile tea. Life is beautiful!

The shape of this house is elongated horizontally, akin to the shape of a “container” in which the social home space can accommodate as many as 20 guests and it is huge enough to house a long sofa set and other smaller furniture pieces like a lounge chair, a coffee table made of white oak or solid teak that can add accents to the lounge area to evoke a sense of freshness and modernity.

Furnish the living hall with either a heritage HP-3 Headphones (left) or a heritage headphone amplifier to groove in to your favourite music. The first, delivers the legendary sound of Klipsch to its fullest capacity. With Klipsch, it’s not just about design, you’re taking home a piece of American audio heritage that has over 70 years of history rooted in its acoustic technology. The headphone amplifier has a low-level distortion and is ideal to enhance the quality of any headphone or audio system plugged into it. Made with genuine walnut veneer and encased in formed aluminum, the headphone amplifier is designed to exude a vintage feel to fit well with any interior. The audiophile features useful functions such as synchronous USB interface, dual amplifiers for balanced output, versatile inputs and outputs, including the anodised aluminium for great feel and tactile response.

Melding the new and old world’s influence is like unifying both mutual understanding and respect that maximise the effects aligned with harmonious coexistence, the current “aesthetic” and the old “relics” merging and common prosperity.