China Overseas · Nanhai No.3 Residence, Haikou

Listening to the Ocean: Where City and Sea Exist in Symbiosis｜Nanhai No.3 Residence, Haikou

Located on Haikou Bay in Hainan, China, this project addresses a complex urban condition where an aging city edge meets a prime first-line waterfront. Rather than treating the site as a simple residential development, the design rethinks how coastal living can be reintroduced into contemporary urban life. Grounded in tidal rhythms and layered green textures, it integrates nature-based healing and an art-led spatial identity to create a complete and relaxed seaside community experience.

To realize the vision of “boundaryless sea views from multiple perspectives,” the project adopts a deeply integrated design methodology across landscape, architecture, and interior disciplines. Under the core concept of Natural Permeability, a wave-like horizontal three-dimensional garden system is introduced, allowing space to remain defined yet fluid. This approach intentionally softens thresholds between interior and exterior zones, replacing rigid enclosure with continuous visual and physical flow. Through strategic planar turns and vertical shifts, views toward the sea are repeatedly revealed along daily movement routes.

The design translates the openness of the ocean and the calmness of island life into a dense urban neighborhood. Layered “islands” are interconnected by green canyons, composing a progressive sequence of homecoming scenes. Palms filter sea breezes; subtropical planting supports ecological vitality; and reef-like stone elements retain warmth, texture, and memory of the coast. Each element contributes to a spatial atmosphere that feels both immersive and effortless.

Instead of over-shaping the site, the project emphasizes restraint and intentional voids. This balance between crafted structure and open breathing space generates transparency, softness, and long-term adaptability. The result is not a static landscape image, but a living coastal framework that continues to evolve with climate, time, and community life.

Nanhai No.3 Residence, Haikou demonstrates how interdisciplinary design can transform a waterfront threshold into a permeable, resilient, and emotionally resonant place—where city and sea are not opposed conditions, but a shared and continuous way of living.