Sheraton Sanya Resort: The New Waikiki

A grand Spanish-style tower stands sentinel at the entrance to New World Casa California, one of Guangzhou’s most beautiful residential estates.

CASA CALIFORNIA SPAIN MEETS GUANGZHOU

The New World Casa California, a luxurious low-density residential complex on Er Sha Dao, an island in the middle of the Pearl River in Guangzhou (formerly Canton) on China’s southeast coast, is an oasis of calm in what is the heart of one of mainland China’s busiest and most densely populated commercial and manufacturing regions. The design intensity and detail of the landscaping surrounding the duplexes and apartments within the complex has generated a great deal of enthusiasm from other developers keen to invest in the landscaping of residential projects. The first architectural plans we saw had a Mediterranean feel about them. We took these a step further by adding a Spanish lifestyle architectural element, and then came up with the name “Casa California, ” which refers to a region between northern Mexico and southern California. As the original building design affected the aesthetics of our gardens, which then reflected back on the building, the architects, SRT, who operated out of Hong Kong, revised their plans to accommodate our new Spanish look. Simple, inexpensive and readily available materials such as bricks and terracotta tiles were used throughout the gardens, but we put them together in such a way that they added richness and quality to the finished product. Clay drainage pipes, normally put underground, which we found in a service yard, came in handy for decorative walls and wall screens—much to the amazement of the workers! Similarly with the huge steel cooking woks, like those in the workers’ barracks, that we used for art installations. We also incorporated techniques employed in the courtyard gardens of old Chinese merchant houses, such as the pebble pattern pavement. Although we used Spanish motifs, the construction methods were similar to those used in China for millennia. Many workers could recall their grandparents using the same methods before the 1949 revolution, and were happy to be involved in work that brought back a sense of history.

This dramatic 16 foot (5 meter) high granite retaining wall runs parallel to the lap pool, providing privacy for swimmers from the surrounding residences.

The segmented stone of the lower tier of this fountain adds an especially elegant touch.

A pavilion bar with an adjoining brick-paved courtyard is an ideal place for the occupants of Casa California to host private parties. Set in the center of the complex, it is shielded by plants for privacy.

The Spanish design on this walkway, inspired by many trips to Mexico, was executed using age-old Chinese techniques of setting stones with bricks.

In the garden foyer of the main swimming pool we placed this fountain, traditional at first glance, but assembled from 18 full segments of solid granite, like pieces of an orange. Unaffordable in the West, the solid granite steps in front will last for years.

Gently sloping sandstone pavers form a clever mock beach edge to the children’s pool.