Architects: MaiWei Landscape Architecture Studio
Landscape Design: MaiWei Landscape Architecture Studio
Area: 4,976 m²
Year: July 2023
Photography: PrismImage
Principal Designer: Gan Weiwei
Design Team: Ma Qing, Teng Long, Huang Zhu, Liu Yuqing, Liu Lijun, Lin Ying, Fu Xuemei, Wang Chao, Li Min
Client: Chengdu Wanhua New City Development Co.
Client Team: Wild Horizon Landscape Center
Collaborators: Wild Horizon Landscape Center
Collaborating Unit: Chengdu Hom Floraland & Horticulture Co., Ltd. （成都惠美花境园艺工程有限责任公司）
City: Chengdu, Sichuan
Country: China
Luxelakes C7 South Golden Bay Model Island by MaiWei Landscape Architecture Studio in Chengdu, Sichuan, redefines waterfront development within the Luxelakes District by embedding architecture into a layered ecological terrain without disrupting the site’s original landform. The design, led by Gan Weiwei, follows a low-intervention approach shaped by the theme “Over the Wilderness”, prioritizing visual openness, terrain respect, and ecological memory. Completed in July 2023, the project establishes a spatial sequence that transitions across the lake edge, wetland, meadow, and built form while accommodating long-term mixed-use flexibility in residential, cultural, and commercial programming.
The concept “Over the Wilderness” guided us. We took a light-touch approach, honoring the city’s spirit and preserving its native ecology. With restrained design language, we minimized artificial elements, avoided unnecessary forms, and returned to a philosophy rooted in nature’s authenticity.
Interview with Gan Weiwei of Maiwei Landscape Architecture Studio
Luxelakes C7 South Golden Bay Model Island is located in the heart of the Luxelakes core lake zone in Chengdu, Sichuan. The project sits on several peninsulas shaped by a complex shoreline and undulating terrain. This setting provides a strong ecological foundation and uninterrupted views across the lake. Developed by Chengdu Wanhua New City Development Co., the landscape was designed by MaiWei Landscape Architecture Studio, with project leadership from Gan Weiwei and support from the Wild Horizon Landscape Center.
The guiding approach to the design focused on maintaining the integrity of the terrain while allowing architectural and landscape elements to interact directly with the natural environment. One of the primary challenges involved preserving visual openness and spatial comfort within a site that narrows toward the water and includes limited buildable area. Building orientation followed a strategic method: the first structure was aligned at a 10-degree offset from the property boundary, while subsequent buildings were placed at a 30-degree rotation. This configuration optimized both inter-building distance and lake-facing views.
Respect for the original landform governed all design decisions. Rather than reshaping the topography, the team used subtle interventions to accommodate circulation, programming, and ecology. Steep slopes near the lakefront limited the depth of design activity, prompting a minimal landscape strategy. Light-touch grading and planting interventions created a site condition where vegetation appears to rise naturally from the ground, and built forms recede into their surroundings. This spatial composition gives the impression that the environment is growing around the architecture, not vice versa.
The project is shaped around the conceptual framework of “Over the Wilderness.” This theme guided the decision to avoid superfluous design moves and instead focus on spatial clarity and ecological continuity. The architects stated they intended to “retain the most vivid memory of the site, abandon redundant functional forms, and even abandon words.” This articulation reinforces a return to fundamental relationships between space, user, and nature. The lakeside environment was conceived as a quiet and resilient shelter, offering spatial depth and emotional resonance without relying on excessive formal gestures.
A continuous spatial sequence emerges across the site: open lake, soft shoreline wetland, transitional meadows, stepped architecture, and finally, elevated viewing platforms. These transitions establish both horizontal and vertical variety, offering changes in perspective and scale. Open public spaces blend with more enclosed zones, creating a dynamic rhythm of interaction and pause. Movement through the site follows natural flows, engaging visitors in both contemplative and active experiences.
Luxelakes C7 South Golden Bay Model Island not only responds to its immediate environmental conditions but also anticipates broader urban and social uses. While designed primarily as a residential landscape, the project includes provisions for future non-standardized commercial programs. These may include retail, food service, hospitality, art, and nature-driven social infrastructure. The master plan’s flexibility allows for adaptation without disrupting the ecological or spatial logic already established. This model supports a vision of development grounded in ecological restoration, cultural integration, and long-term community vitality.
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Project Location
Address: Shuangliu District, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, 610218, China
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.
