Overlooking the whole city and the far away Lishan Mountains, The Top of Cloud gives a breathtaking twist to the top floor of the highest building (Greenland Center) in Xi'an.
Xi'an, the ancient capital of thirteen Chinese dynasties, is at the commanding height of the representative cities of Chinese style in history. RSAA, who's main focus is on Eco-city urban design and public/office building projects, took up the challenge of showing the the contemporary Xi'an atmosphere and style through the translation of physical space, rather than flat symbols.
The space nurtures the coexistence of the traditional and the contemporary through a series of abstract "installations" incorporated into the circular spatial experience. Upon entering the space, objects such as shadow puppet lanterns that represent the Shaanxi culture - will greet and guide you on your way to wine and dine at the restaurant.
Nowadays, people sit, looking heavenwards and over the city, with drinks in hand. In such a scenario, we no longer talk about the past or present, we only see 'top of the cloud' horizontally unfolded by the curtain wall and the ethereal Oriental image and philosophy.
The open dining area was designed in response to the name Yunding (top of the cloud) through its bright ceiling, whilst the "super-long" bar corresponds to the city wall of Chang'an City. The high-seat setting at the bar will make you feel as if you are sitting on a pedestal within one of the palaces during the Han and Tang dynasties, especially with the large chandeliers formed from curtains to look like palace lanterns.
The planning of space and the heritage of culture, as well as giving the space a contemporary feel for new types of business are both challenges, propositions and opportunities for our design.
RSAA (formerly RHEINSCHIENE architects) is a Cologne based international firm, who focuses on Eco-city and sustainable architectural design, and to promote core European design value. To find out more about RSAA, visit their website here.
Design team: Xin Zhao, Zhenrong Guo, Milos Bojinovic, Boyang Xia, Kunyu Zhu
Partner of interior construction drawings: DAMU Design Corp.
Team members: Hai Lin, Mengwei Zhang, Lijing Wang, Weihua Guan
Home furnishing consultant: Jiatong Xu
Lighting consultant: Shanghai Gradient Lighting Design Co., Ltd.
Art consultant: Jiatong Xu
Construction and coordination team: Shaanxi Duowei Decoration Co., Ltd.
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