CAPOL INTERNATIONAL & ASSOCIATES GROUP GUANGZHOU BRANCH: Winner of International Residential Architecture Awards 2024. At the peak of the clouds, overlooking the city of Guangzhou,
Old Meets New, where tradition and modernity intertwine, colliding into infinite possibilities for life. Zhonghai Guanyun Mansion, nestled in the heart of Guangzhou, the source of Lingnan culture, embraces the philosophy of “Old Meets New” in its design, rejuvenating the landscape of living.
The project embodies the unity of the building’s inner spirit and outer form through eight meticulously crafted key points.

1.Site Planning: 3×180m, A Panoramic View from the Clouds
Located in the old district along Guangzhou’s central axis, the project faced the dual challenges of a narrow site and surrounding aging communities.
The design boldly tackled these issues by cleverly planning three 188m ultra-high-rise residential towers. These towers offer views of Guangzhou Tower to the north and the Pearl River to the south, elevating living spaces to the clouds, away from the hustle and bustle, and maximizing the scenic vistas.
On the site plan, the three residential towers are skillfully staggered from surrounding buildings, minimizing impact on the old district while enriching the street-facing aesthetics, harmonizing with the local Lingnan lifestyle.

2.Design Prototype: Hidden in the Wilderness, Concealed in the City
The designers started from people’s needs, precisely targeting Chaoshan businessmen and local Guangzhou clients as the customer profile, deeply exploring their nostalgia for the old city and pursuit of lifestyle.
Drawing inspiration from historical and cultural contexts, they found the design prototype of “hidden in the wilderness, concealed in the city,”（Chinese traditional poems） positioning the project as “a private garden amidst the bustling city.” This concept transforms the disadvantages of a street-facing lot and the old city’s lively atmosphere into advantages, allowing residents to enjoy tranquility and privacy in the heart of the metropolis.

3.Spatial Order: Rejuvenating Guangzhou, Entering a Picturesque Garden
The design extracts the imagery of classic residential “one house, one courtyard” and introduces the “courtyard” concept to reorganize the spatial order of the building, skillfully resolving conflicts in site axis alignment. The two-story open-air design at the base of the towers interacts with the courtyard spaces, creating a living atmosphere where every step reveals a new view and every entrance leads to a garden.
From public to private, from the hustle and bustle to secluded gardens, the sense of spatial belonging progresses, forming a serene living environment amidst the noise, offering residents a soulful retreat in the city.

4.Urban Interface: Reviving the Nostalgia of Lively Atmosphere
The street-facing facade design is ingenious, featuring seven themed display windows including photo studios, hair salons, copper smithies, herbal tea shops, snack stores, bookstores, and flower shops, arranged in a way that evokes traditional life sentiments through water screen projections.
Meanwhile, the combination of green walls and curved glass facades shaped “city windows” as vivid landmarks, making Guanyun Mansion a unique attraction in the city.

5.Facade Aesthetics: The Encounter of Copper and Curved Aesthetics
The facade design inherits the exquisite craftsmanship of Zhonghai’s “Mansion” series buildings. Inspired by traditional Guangzhou’s copper crafts and Ming-style furniture, it adopts horizontal curved metal designs with alternating layers of copper and wood, presenting a fluid copper-accented architectural facade.
From building contours to material details, rounded designs are used to resolve sharp conflicts caused by architectural misalignment along the urban interface while enhancing design quality. The tower crowns feature two interconnected clusters, adding rich variations to the building’s form.
As the tallest prefabricated residential building in Guangzhou, Guanyun Mansion exemplifies modern architectural charm through meticulous design.

6.Ark Living Room: Life Unfolds, Seeing Is Believing
The showcase area, located in the core of the site, innovatively introduces the concept of a “sales-free office,” embodied in the “Ark Living Room,” showcasing the vision of “being concealed in the city.” Collaborating with the “Fangsuo” bookstore brand, it creates a secondary social space integrating river-viewing lounges, yoga rooms, and other amenities, where architectural form and brand operation synergize to invigorate the city with friendliness.
Here, life transcends cold architectural assemblages, becoming a scene imbued with warmth and emotion.

7.Unit Layouts: From Craftsmanship to High Customization
The project offers a comprehensive range of unit sizes from 87 to 160 square meters, innovatively and scenically designed to reflect modern living concepts.
It incorporates functional and scenic spaces such as ceremonial entrances and versatile social kitchens, pioneering a new era of “LDK” living modes. The scenario-based luxurious master bedrooms feature 270° unobstructed corner windows and independent walk-in closets, enabling residents to enjoy an exquisite lifestyle amidst the city’s clouds.8.Story Is Everything, Life Is the Purpose
Through meticulous planning and design, Zhonghai Guanyun Mansion skillfully blends tradition with modernity, crafting high-quality residences that unify inner spirit and outer form.
From site planning to facade aesthetics, from spatial order to interface design, every detail reflects the designers’ profound understanding of client needs and their exquisite craftsmanship. The Ark Living Room and high-customization unit layouts further provide residents with a comfortable, convenient, and high-quality living experience. The future living scenarios will continuously expand the narrative, forming an organic connection with the design.
The story of rejuvenating Guangzhou and the textured life of Guanyun Mansion are quietly spreading throughout the city.

Project Details:-
Firm
CAPOL INTERNATIONAL & ASSOCIATES GROUP GUANGZHOU BRANCH

Architect
MingZheng LI

Project Name
Guanyun Mansion

Project Category
Residential Multi-Unit

Team
Joe Chow, Mingzheng LI, Senpeng ZHENG, Jianbin GUAN, Zhenrong HE

Project Location
Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

Country
China

Photography ©Credit
Shan xi studio，Fan Yang，Ziwei Liu