By disengaging the notion of landscape from its strict association with land and interpreting it in a tradition of an understanding of urbanity may open the possibility to find qualities in the existing that lie beyond scientific limits and parameters.

The site has so beautiful landscape as natural environment. The mountains enclosing 3 valleys have dramatic topography and make splendor scenes, and the Great Wall that is boundary of this site is running on the steep mountains. I felt a moment that execution of this project might be an impolite human will. Even the remains of several peasant houses seemed to be as if they have defeated from the grand nature and destroyed. I was anxious how I should design here. I come back from first visit on site, thinking that firstly natural elements should be preserved such as rocks, trees, and even existing artificial structures.

Considering adequate volumes of the function to the site and its slope, the given mass should be articulated into several pieces in order to design the void and empty space prior to volume. That is the best way to communicate with nature between indoor and outdoor spaces as well as filled and void spaces. So divided volumes of the building will harmonize with other houses and surroundings. Architecture as landscape is the intention of the design, where accommodates diverse culture and various functions.

Thus, architecture here is not an object to see but a place where people with different background meet and communicate to each other and nature. Given nature and artificial architecture make new landscape with people. Let me call this ‘culturescape’.
This culturescape is new nature, new place and new life.

The site of the club is center of the project ‘Commune by the Great Wall’ in terms of location and program. For the easy access from the houses, it is located near where the south and east valley start in the whole area. Form the site, view to the west is open to the Great Wall and the most beautiful one of the whole site. View to the east is also open to the east valley and North and South view is closed to the mountains. Slope in the site is about 0-10%, and it is slanted up from west to east and south to north simultaneously.

The program of the club is the facility for the guests and residents of the houses, such as two kinds of restaurant, swimming pool, gallery, grocery, management center and employee’s accommodations. This building would be a space where various people meet, diverse cultures communicate, and different functions exist. Compared to the other functions, the swimming pool is so big that the volume should be articulated into pieces.

The Chinese restaurant with 10 private rooms has 10 private enclosed gardens that have different themes and when this restaurant is used as one big hall with flexible partitions the separate gardens would make very special scene. Especially the lights through the gaps that distorted rooms make give us mysterious hallway scenery.

Except the employee’s accommodation, the other functions are connected systemically by the corridor and placed according to its existing site elevation. The swimming pool and western restaurant above the Chinese restaurant command a scenery view to the Great Wall and get fantastic sunset.

Entering lobby the beautiful trees would be seen, that existed ones. Landscape is the extension of the club, having linear elements connecting the building and road. There are fountains, wood decks and parking lots, however some parts of the exterior are remained as they are. All the artificial elements are delicately attached to the existing landscape. The edge should be treated very specially.

Consequently this architecture would look like as if 5 long pieces come out from north mountain rather than built on earth. Material is another method of expressing design philosophy, that is consistency of materiality and design concept is indispensable.

Therefore this building is consisted of natural material such as wood, corten steel plate and stone in concrete. Corten steel plate is rusted in time and changed in color so that it will match natural color change by seasons and years. Stone in concrete is combination of exposed concrete and stone from the site itself, which would keep the context of the natural environment. Finally they seem to be as if they have been there for long time. It is derived from our beautiful memory that is very important reason why we are now.