The site is part of a large residential estate adjacent to a new business district of Changsha, Hunan Province. The city is one of the ‘stoves’ of China; so called because of its oppressive summers. Lot 4 is positioned at the high-end residential section of the estate that is themed as a 'Global Village’.  The site is flanked by a major city green belt park to the west, a main city road to the east and residences to the north and south.

Client’s brief was to create a liveable, contemporary and fashionable residential quarter with an international character to meet the expectations of upper middle class owners. Natural cross ventilation and natural light are essential to residential design in China as is an optimal use of the landscape for both views and recreation.

Important to the design was to bring a feeling of open space into the apartments; provide every unit with a large, convenient balcony; and maximise the south exposure. The elevations aim to integrate and articulate of scale of the buildings. A layer of fixed and moveable panels break down the scale of the elevations with human scale elements while the colour appeals to target market. The panels also provide cover to air conditioning units and offer shade to living rooms and bedrooms during the hot summer.