The cement garden-Meet change through time

The project is located in a residential building in Beijing. The client wants a durable garden that is easy to maintain. Because Beijing's climate is relatively dusty, dust-resistant concrete is the main material. At the same time, the rainy season is basically during one period of the year, so the large permeable wooden floor in the garden plays an important role in collecting rainwater in time and infiltration. This case hopes to try to change the negative effect of time on the landscape, over time, not only the plants become more and more lush, but the hard material will also become more and more textured due to the effects of rain and weather. Whether it's broken, weathered or eroded, it's the change we expect.

The main entry to the garden is on the east side. Because guests mainly enter the garden from the interior of the building, the main entry periphery focuses on creating a good landscape atmosphere, and the inner space is equipped with related service functions such as bicycle shed and vegetable garden.

At the end of the walkway at the east entry is a Smooth Japanese Maple, followed by the  sofa leisure area, surrounded by plants, in the shade of little arbors. The planting pool made of concrete continues along the edge of the garden, and the part passing through the leisure area is changed to wooden material, which can be used as a leisure seat. LED lighting and power sockets are set under it.

In the middle of the garden, a concrete flower pond in the form of a cantilevered countertop extends from the leisure area. A landscape wall composed of concrete blocks is arranged with a water flowing wall as the main scene. It collocated with Purple Japanese maple and Maiden Grass 'Morning Light' and other plants to make this area the focal point of the garden. In front of the landscape wall is a spacious multifunctional area, composed of a large wooden platform. The planting pool continues in front of the landscape wall, and it also can be used as seat. People can sit freely, making the entire garden space full of free and relaxing communication atmosphere.

The concrete flower pond extends all the way to the west end of the garden, and uses height difference to divide the functional area. The cantilevered countertops sink into low planting ponds, and the concrete console raised in front of the western wall, to form the outdoor dining area on the west side. The lush plant clusters have enriched the scenery of the dining area, and the long countertops have also met the respective operating needs of the dining area.

Rainwater from the garden and building is pooled under wooden platforms, stored and infiltrated into planting areas. As the main landscape element, concrete is used in different areas such as fences, planting ponds, and the ground, using different specific materials and manufacturing techniques. At the same time, the concrete landscape wall as the main scene of the garden intentionally reduces the surface protection measures, so that it displays different textures under different weather, humidity or temperature. The variability of materials is not an element to impose control, but the vitality of the garden.

The diversity of cement makes the garden not monotonous, the fibercement board of the fence is resistant to dirt and stable, the cast-in-situ concrete on the ground retains scratches and imprints, and the Reinforced Concrete without the protective agent in the landscape wall changes with temperature and humidity. The concrete garden, with multifunction use but simple form, it’s material will show unexpected changes over time.