16 APRIL 2023
"Urban landmarks are not so much about a name, but more about a pattern, a kind of power and grandeur, and a poetic lifestyle that integrates Eastern artistic conception with Western form." (Joe Cheng)

Overlooking the river and connecting with the sky, Focus Hangzhou is a 673 square meters apartment embraces an unparalleled setting. With the spirit of the era, it ambitiously defines the skyline of the city, and forms a new iconic landmark building cluster on the bank of Qiantang River together with the Hangzhou Arch among the seven "Big Dipper" towers.

The floor-to-ceiling glazing brings in 270-degree clear views of the outdoor landscape, unfolding gradually like a scroll painting. The designers of CCD / Cheng Chung Design (HK) knows profoundly the role of the "window", which offers a glimpse of the city's evolving culture and meanwhile unveils the spiritual codes in the architecture.

To let everything on the riverbank compose a natural view — this is the core idea behind Joe Cheng's vision of Focus Hangzhou. The open layout breaks the boundary, removes the visual barrier among the foyer, the living room and the study, and blends aesthetics with formality. Forming a more expansive, holistic whole, the space brings in the fluidity of the turbulent water outside the window.

The "blank" space expresses the conception of "creating something from nothing" in Oriental aesthetics. The real and the virtual interweave, naturally forming into an intriguing scene. The space becomes a stage, where people are like dancers that create dynamics and rhythms.

Echoing with the iconic Hangzhou Grand Theater and Hangzhou International Convention Center across Qiantang River, Focus Hangzhou embodies the power and enlightenment of the city's landmarks in interior design. The designers emphasize a sense of architecture in the interior space through the structural blocks, the streamlined window frames, and the progressive, orderly circulation route.

Upon stepping in the space, people are embraced by its grandeur. The living room area is open and expansive, complemented by interweaving light and shadows from outdoors and indoors, irregularly formed sofas and floor lamp, with the semi-circular lines shaping a magnificent scale.

In the simple and elegant setting, a block with rounded edges is specially added to the dining area. With ripple pattern and a hollow-out opening, this structural block allows for a glimpse of the buildings on the riverbank under different light conditions. Like a frame, it captures the cityscape.


Photo: Wang Ting