Origin of the project Origin
The design and construction of “Clear Water Park” took five years. The owner of the house is a pair of entrepreneurial brothers who took out the approximately 3-acre residential lot in the early years. The base is rectangular with a short south-north orientation, the North Lining Road is near the sea in the south, and there are some existing buildings on both sides of the adjacent land. A 30-meter-wide strip of tulip urban windbreak is planted between the site and the beach, blocking the site's direct view of the sea, but also blocking the adverse effects of the typhoon.
THE OWNER INTENDS TO BUILD A PRIVATE SPACE THAT WILL CONSIST OF THREE PARTS: A SEPARATE LIVING SPACE FOR BROTHERS AND FAMILY MEMBERS, AND A FAMILY LEISURE SPACE FOR ACTIVITIES SUCH AS GATHERINGS, FAMILY GATHERINGS AND FITNESS. In addition, the two hope that the newly built house will serve as a carrier for family memories and deliver space for the future.
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Space and Time
The site is rare overseas through forests to the south, and the other three sides have no view. The height of the building is limited to less than 10 meters and cannot be viewed. The design has developed mainly in the direction of creating the courtyard at the heart of the interior space and the Northeastern landscape. The climate in Minan is warm and the introduction of courtyards is an ancient practice of traditional local residences. The yard not only improves the environment, but also makes the transition between the leisure and residential sections more naturally, creating a “continuous” sense of spatial fluidity. The most important thing is to allow the space to change over time with the help of the growth of the grass in the garden and hopefully meet the expectations of the owners to “pass space” to the future.
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Next, we need to solve the position relationship. The entrance to the site is located on the northern side of the road, so it was planned to divide the site into two, the north side to the public recreation area, and the south side was divided into a private living area, creating a shared waterside between the two. The residential section was also cut in half into two separate living units. Separating the “negative space” area, naturally forming a ribbon garden between the two families. The ground part of the complex, apart from the two-storey layout on the south and north sides, is extended in one layer, so the space scale is more in line with the theme of the “garden”.
The long lens-like inner walkway is a time-line of interconnected space that both blurs the boundaries of the sections and keeps the courtyard flowing. After a series of steps up a few steps at the entrance to the northeast corner of the venue, and through a series of spaces such as entrance spaces, central waterways, and striped courtyards, the view opens up perfectly through the passage under the south side building to the outdoor viewing platform.

Scale and Atmosphere Scale and Atmosphere
The functions of the leisure part and the living part of the house differ, and the space dimensions to match them are not the same, and therefore the interior atmosphere is represented by a large difference. The leisure section focuses on public activities and is relatively large in scale. The residential part tends to be more compact and has a more refined sense of home.

First is the leisure part:
The Central Water Court renders a serene atmosphere. Surrounded by the water yard, a tea room and a large restaurant with the highest demands on the landscape are planned. Drinking tea is a daily habit of Minnan people and is also a way of hospitality. The tea room is located north-south, facing the water garden, and picks up one, adding to the feeling of lightness. The inner courtyard behind the tea room, which strips away the volume of the two-storey building on the north side of the venue, also gives the tea space transparency. The large restaurant can accommodate two round tables for 10 people due to the needs of the festive family. It is fully open on one side of the corridor towards the water yard, and at the back it integrates with the inner patio, enhancing the fluidity of the space and the level of longitudinal depth.

To adapt to the owners' swimming habits, a heated pool has been designed on the ground floor. The sunken courtyard, which opens in several directions, and the water view skylight above the pool, introduces ample light. The pool area connects the underground part of the living area via a corridor, and the water curtain wall on one side of the corridor slows the water flow of the one-story water house.
In addition to some ancillary functions such as a business room, butler's room, kitchen logistics, a number of rooms are arranged on the second floor on the north side of the leisure section. The room is small in size, but the atmosphere is warm and faces south with garden views. The long windows in the hallway floor draw closer to the relationship between the one-story courtyard. Thanks to the continuous light scattered by the skylight, the corridor changes the light in different seasons.
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Next is the residential part:
The two residential units combine to form a complete building volume on the south side of the site, but are not connected inside the house. Each entrance hall faces the striped courtyard of the two rooms and is properly misplaced, without interference when entering. The design places the brothers' master bedroom on the second floor facing the sea to the best south. One floor is used to arrange a living space including a sofa area and a tea lounge area. Other rooms gradually extend north within a corresponding span of one floor, and the corridor to the connecting room is sometimes viewed through a window opening.
At the northernmost end of the corridor are two residential multipurpose rooms that serve as independent small restaurants, as well as for drawing, reading, and playing cards. They are similar to the teahouse adjoining the waterfront, and also have a sloping roof shape, which means “Four Shui Homecoming”. The sub-bedrooms, which vary in shape, are relatively smaller than the master bedroom, but the introduced patio and patio allow the space to extend to the outdoors.
Spare bedrooms with low frequency descend to the ground floor, and the sunken courtyard has no less lighting and ventilation than the ground room. In addition, there are living ancillary features on the ground floor, such as an activity lounge, a video room, a lounge and a laundry room.
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Dimensions of materials Appropriate Use of Materials
The origin of the name “Shimizu Garden” has something to do with the material itself. The reasons for incorporating shear walls as a structural system and using clear water concrete as the main material of the building are well established: The owner has a concrete production enterprise that has been running for many years and is well versed in this material. The wall moldings use textured natural pine wood templates. The horizontal wood grain also adapts to the horizontal flow of small spaces. Bamboo templates are also used sparingly in some areas of space that need to be changed slightly. The house is designed with warm colored materials such as outdoor porcelain bamboo, brass components, wooden door windows and grille systems to balance the cold and soft and hard relationship between clean concrete and water.
For the interior of the project, it is difficult to create a feeling of “cold” in the case of a set of self-contained spaces that need to be inhabited for a long time. So we negotiated with the owner: use zoning, optionally preserving the original texture of concrete indoors. The leisure part of the project is somewhat similar in functionality to the “Local Small Building”. In a public event area such as a swimming pool, we have retained a certain clean water wall without additional refinement, but with the bamboo material of the ceiling to balance the feeling of warmth and warmth.
For the residential part, there should be a clear shift towards a soft, comfortable home atmosphere, which is better suited to the point where a small amount of water is retained, even if the walls are not visible. We chose materials such as beige plaster, mulberry composite panels, bamboo flooring, red laminated millstones and other materials for wrapping. In addition, the lighting mainly uses a 2700K color warm light source, allowing the originally cooled material to cover with a soft, warm color at night. Overall, the design also takes into account the dimensions of the use of interior materials, achieving a certain balance between them and the concrete, refined and restrained.
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Process of construction Process of Construction
Due to the stable output of the owner's own mixing station, the civil engineering of “Clear Water Garden” provides reliable protection for the pouring operation. Part of the budget was still spent on sourcing, cutting, nailing pine and bamboo templates, but construction progressed favorably as the site gradually mastered the method. In order to control the manufacturing price, the small pine wood templates of the project undergo at least one cycle, some of which are rotated twice or three times, for the construction of secondary parts of fences, flowerpots, etc.
Looking back, such a concrete construction process is a coincidence, and many practical methods are closely related to the conditions of the owners and the local situation. As an architect, he is not biased by his use of materials, and the owners are happy to accept the ideas about the space. But there is no denying that after the materials are concisely unified, the building entity recedes to the “background”, and space, on the contrary, stands out in a more important place as the protagonist.

The overall progress of the site was slower after the construction phase of the interior and landscape construction. On the one hand, the increasing number of materials and workmanship in this phase is associated with a large number of construction interfacing problems compared to a single concrete earthworks; on the other hand, the site is also plagued by a lack of professional construction contractors to coordinate. AS ARCHITECTS, IN ADDITION TO REGULAR DESIGN ADJUSTMENTS AND FREQUENT VISITS TO THE SITE, WE GRADUALLY UNDERTAKE THE DAILY WORK OF CONSTRUCTION COORDINATION AND SITE MANAGEMENT, WHICH HAS CONTINUED UNTIL THE FINAL COMPLETION OF CONSTRUCTION.
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Perfection of details Improvement of Details
“Clearwater Garden” as a private living space, the details of Lam Lin's general life cannot be avoided and ignored. If a hotel is about adjusting the design to a fixed state to meet different users; then a private home is about facing a fixed user, constantly adjusting the design to suit their living situation.
A house with a courtyard at the heart, saplings are an important aspect in landscape design. In addition to matching the climate of the space, the choice of seedlings takes into account local climate, future growth, care and maintenance. After planting, the garden space underwent a bone-chilling change, and the plain water walls were also “stepped up” for the tapestry of trees. What is more to be expected is the sight of “the former planting trees and the latter cooling down” a few years later.
The relationship between home layout and life is closer. A series of fixed furniture in the interior, all of which we have been specially designed and made from teak wood purchased by the owner from Myanmar. In view of the need for third-generation children to look at writing when they come home on vacation, the bedrooms are equipped with writing desks. In order to satisfy the desire of a family to eat hot pot through the hob, two large round tables are equipped with an induction cooker. The fabric was chosen for a comfortable cotton-linen material, and the mattress is also distinguished by soft hardness according to different rooms. Old objects, such as old Chinese brick sculptures, old wooden ships, ceramic tile jars, and other objects that the owners have previously discarded are integrated into the living scene to their fullest use. We've integrated some practical second-hand furniture to brighten up the local space, and invite artist friends to create some space-appropriate paintings. Some of the photographs taken by the photographer during the construction of the house also framed the walls, leaving a meaningful record of both decoration and decoration.
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Continuation of Life
“Shimizu Garden” explores in its design the possibilities of modern living spaces with traditional meaning and spiritual core using contemporary materials and construction methods. The project lands in the end, without leaving the owner with the patience and determination to get it done, as well as the trust and support of the designer. For yourself, it is also a difficult experience to polish a private living space in more relaxed conditions. The design, construction, and improvement of the house also went through a process of simple transformation and complexity, like a slow journey closer to the essence of life. On weekdays, people who feel sorry for things are always appreciated by people who receive life clips from the brothers on WeChat from time to time. Of course, I would be happy to continue helping to solve some trivial problems that were previously thought through or not anticipated.
Life goes on, and this is a process of change, that is, the daily flow of silence.

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Project Information
Project Name: “Shimizu Garden” Private Living Space
Project Location: Zhangzhou, Fujian
Construction time: 2021
Building Size: 1700 m2
Architectural Design: Default Building
Lead Architect: Oxford
INTERIOR DESIGN: HUANG CHUN YAO/TUNG JUN DESIGN
Structure Design: Cheng Wai Ying Cheng
Softwares Consultant: Lin Li Lin Li Ching
Landscape Consultant: Xiao Tchiz/Art Road Landscape
Participating Design List: Luo Children Xu Zhiqin Lin Xiaoda Wujia Dong Luo Xiaoxiang Chen Chung Saw Hou Fuk Zhang Shaochuan Gofen Liu Xiaofei Liu Hai Yan Lin Qin Zheng Siyang Yu Hua Chun Wang Jianhuang Jianlin Zheng Zhi Wu Hai Yan Lin Qin Zheng Siyang Yu Wei
Lacquer Artist: Wu Guan-Chen
Second-hand Furniture Support: Stream
Civil Engineering: Lao Shen, Lao Lin and Local Construction Team
Landscape Green Construction: Chen Yixiu Team
Cooperative Design Institute: Xiamen United Road Design Group Building and Design House
Photography: Zhang Chau Architectural Photography Studio
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