In the urban landscape of Chengdu, Sichuan, a multi-storey, 5,000 square feet residence known as Residence LL masterminded by Atelier About Architecture resonates with the pursuit of elegant tranquility

The owners, a couple who are entrepreneurs and devoted antique collectors, envisioned a home that was a peaceful sanctuary, a canvas for both their collection and their lives. The challenge, however, lay in the building's original design - a structurally complex shell with awkward verticality, poor spatial scale, and problematic natural light distribution.

Architectural Redefinition: The Vertical Solution

Tasked with transforming this structural puzzle, Atelier About Architecture focused on intelligent reorganization while preserving the core structural columns. The main architectural hurdle was mastering the vertical flow. Lead Architect Wang Ni and the design team reconfigured the two existing staircases and the elevator core to clearly delineate the home's public and private realms. This move immediately streamlined the functional areas, concentrating circulation spaces to liberate the living areas and allowing both natural light and the residents' experience to flow unimpeded.

A Study in Light and Materiality

To counter the challenge of long, narrow interior spaces, the architects employed a clever interplay of materials to filter and diffuse the intense light. Transparent and semi-transparent elements were incorporated, softening the natural light and addressing privacy concerns without sacrificing brightness. The material palette is a carefully curated study in texture and atmosphere. For the flooring, the team developed a unique monolithic terrazzo casting process, crushing beige fine-grain veined marble and mixing it with pebbles and pearl shells to create a richly textured, one-of-a-kind surface. The building’s facades and interiors layer frosted glass bricks, natural black walnut wood, and raw cement. This combination of materials - where the ethereal quality of filtered light interweaves with the raw tactility of the surfaces - results in a calming, soft, and serene atmosphere.

Design Philosophy: The Pursuit of Immateriality

The heart of Residence LL’s design is a philosophy that transcends aesthetics. By starting from a rigorous, material-based approach, the architects ultimately aimed for the immaterial - creating a space where concepts like emotion and memory can freely resonate and endure. The resulting open spatial form is more than just functional; it symbolizes the dissolution of boundaries, extending the architecture into a field-based design where daily life unfolds as a series of vivid, memorable scenes. Residence LL is a foundational stone rooted in its site and culture, achieving the owners' goal of a tranquil place for introspection.