Eternal Land

Chongqing, China

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Wuhan Yangtze River Tiandi Exhibition Hall

Eternal Land

Chongqing, China

Firm

ZEN Architects

Type

Residential › Apartment
Commercial › Exhibition Center

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2026

SIZE

1,000,000 +

BUDGET

Undisclosed

The ongoing regeneration of the Dian Ce Village area in Chongqing is transforming layered urban visions into reality. Here, the vibrancy of a world-class luxury commercial district, the everyday warmth of street life, and the quiet order of high-end residential living coexist, interweave, and evolve within a single territory. This place is no longer merely a fragment of the city but is gradually emerging as a new urban prototype—denser, more dynamic, and more integrated.
In 2021, China Resources Land and Hongkong Land jointly entered the Guanyinqiao district, marking the beginning of Guanchen as a key chapter in the renewal of the urban core and initiating an ongoing experiment in contemporary living. As the final residential piece of the Guanyinqiao area, Guanchen · Wangyun Chao occupies over 60 mu, representing not only the largest residential development in Chongqing’s central urban area but also a deeper exploration of “secondary urbanization”—a process of reconstructing spatial relationships, lifestyles, and boundaries within the existing city.
Building upon the experience of the first two phases, ZEN Architects once again responds to this complex urban proposition. By introducing more open and hybrid spatial strategies into the city’s core, the project forms a vertically evolving “super settlement,” where design becomes a medium connecting city, nature, and life. Taking Guanchen · Wangyun Chao as a case study, this article explores the concept of “Order Beyond Boundaries”: within a context where boundaries dissolve, functions overlap, and ecology permeates, the project weaves a composite system rooted in Chongqing’s unique urban fabric, addressing contemporary living scales and scenarios.

1. Boundary Between City and Community
Positioned within the broader context of Chongqing’s urban renewal and development, ZEN Architects continuously addresses the reconfiguration of land value under the framework of “secondary urbanization.” Confronted with the complexity of a mountainous city, the design raises a fundamental question: how can architecture respond to terrain while establishing a spatial system that reconciles metropolitan intensity with everyday street life, enabling fluid transitions between diverse living scenarios?
Reframing the Urban Core: Secondary Urbanization
Driven by the transformation of commercial and lifestyle districts, the Guanchen project has, since its inception in 2021, been positioned at the geometric center of Chongqing’s “Two Rivers and Four Banks” core area. As resources, population, and urban infrastructure are re-concentrated and amplified, a new phase of “secondary urbanization” emerges.
Wangyun Chao continues the evolution of earlier multi-plot, multi-cluster developments, closely integrated with the billion-RMB landmark commercial complex MixC Central. It stands as the largest and most programmatically intensive residential component within the series.
From a planning perspective, the site presents both opportunity and challenge. Located on a natural plateau within Guanyinqiao, it offers a relatively complete urban interface, yet its steep terrain—with an elevation difference of approximately 30 meters—posed significant constraints from the outset. The key design challenge thus became how to maintain the overarching logic of the Guanchen development while responding to complex topography and redefining spatial relationships and boundary order within the existing urban fabric.
Formation of a Vitality Settlement: “Forest Above, City Below”
Through systematic analysis of site conditions and boundaries, ZEN Architects proposes that architecture and cities should not exist as layered overlays but rather as an integrated system achieved through the dissolution of boundaries. The concept of a “vitality settlement” is introduced to reorganize spatial relationships across multiple dimensions—integrating commerce, circulation, and landscape into a mutually permeable and interdependent system, where the whole exceeds the sum of its parts.
This strategy manifests in the spatial model of “forest living above, urban vitality below.” The architecture follows the shape of the land, turning the 30-meter difference in height into a structured vertical hierarchy and allowing urban functions to be integrated all the time.
The “city below” embeds a new mode of everyday life beneath the primary residential datum, accommodating block retail, marketplaces, sports courts, and community amenities. This layered configuration creates a warm, accessible environment: one can traverse upward through stepped streets or descend into vibrant marketplaces, while fitness and sports facilities foster social interaction and community engagement.
Through the strategy of embedding within the urban-residential interface, architecture is no longer an isolated object defined by plot boundaries but becomes an extension of the city’s public realm. By dissolving physical and visual separations between buildings, main roads, and street corners, the design creates a gradual transition from urban dynamism to residential tranquility.

2. Boundary Between Community and Nature
After resolving topographic constraints, the focus shifts to redefining publicness and natural integration within the community. From the perspective of “Order Beyond Boundaries,” the project establishes the “vitality settlement” as a spatial prototype that integrates both everyday urban life and immersive natural living.
Spatial Formation: A Three-Dimensional Forest System
Guided by the concept of “elevated structure + ecological infiltration,” the design integrates architecture and landscape into a multi-layered spatial network. The traditional flat landscape is transformed into a vertical ecological system, enhancing sensory experience and participation.
The arrival sequence emphasizes continuity between interfaces—linking street-level commercial spaces with elevated courtyards. The “floating island lobby” system is introduced, defined by grand vertical spaces and deep cantilevered canopies, creating a ceremonial and centripetal arrival experience.
Pedestrian circulation is organized through commercial edges into the residential core, using gentle steps and ramps integrated with the landscape to soften elevation changes and create transitional “arrival islands.” Vehicular circulation follows the terrain, while pilotis structures transform movement paths into a sequence of landscape interfaces.
Spatial Elevation: Terraced Courtyards and Multi-Layer Connectivity
At a higher level of organization, we integrate diverse functions across different elevations. The “terraced forest courtyard” strategy reinforces interactions between architecture, landscape, and nature through layered platforms and nested courtyards.
A signature three-dimensional corridor system runs throughout the project, connecting art courtyards, lobbies, clubhouse spaces, and circulation nodes into a multi-path residential network. Clubhouse design adopts a “hidden in landscape” approach, with controlled overhangs, glass ratios, and setbacks softened by curved corners, creating a restrained and relaxed spatial presence. This produces a breathable, continuous interface that subtly dissolves spatial boundaries.

3. Boundary Between Dwelling and the Individual
Contemporary residential design is returning to its essence amid the evolution of “fourth-generation housing” and a policy-driven emphasis on “better homes,” optimizing function and scale while redefining the relationship between dwelling and the individual.
Living Diversity: From Separation to Connection
ZEN Architects explores space in the residential unit, adapting to different lifestyles by changing boundaries from strict separations to flexible interfaces that connect different scenarios.
The approximately 233 sqm unit serves as a key prototype. Through a series of spatial innovations, it redefines residential boundaries:
• A mirrored corner configuration minimizes overlooking while maximizing views and openness.
• A 27-meter-wide “light façade” creates a continuous daylight interface, enveloping a 70- sqm social living hall in light and landscape.
• A “three-sided panoramic cabin” dissolves interior-exterior boundaries, with a transparent end hall and vertically extended garden space, allowing nature to permeate the interior.
In façade design, a warm and natural palette is adopted. Italian ultra-white travertine is paired with off-white UHPC curved elements, honeycomb aluminum panels, and high-transparency glass, accented with champagne-colored stainless steel details. This creates a refined yet natural architectural expression aligned with both urban identity and contemporary residential expectations.
During construction, close integration between design and site execution ensures fidelity to the original vision. Through iterative mock-ups and detailing adjustments, we continuously refine materials, proportions, and craftsmanship, translating conceptual care into tangible spatial quality.

Conclusion
ZEN Architects’ approach to “non-standard design” represents a contextual response to Chongqing’s mountainous terrain and high-density urban condition. It proposes a sustainable model for integrated living and urban renewal: through precise boundary negotiation and functional recomposition, a “vitality settlement” emerges within limited core land—one that holds infinite potential for growth.
This project offers a forward-looking prototype for “secondary urbanization” not only in Chongqing but also for other high-density urban centers.

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Eternal Land

Chongqing, China

Other Projects by ZEN Architects

Wuhan Yangtze River Tiandi Exhibition Hall

Eternal Land

Chongqing, China

Product Spec Sheet

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