In the heart of Shanghai’s Yanlord Arcadia residential complex, Pok Kobkongsanti of T.R.O.P: terrains + open space introduces Lacy Steps Garden, a nine-meter-deep sunken courtyard that serves as a sculptural landmark and a communal living space. The project becomes a ‘living core’ that connects homes, amenities, and nature across three levels.
The entire design pivots around a fluid geometric composition, anchored by a cascading staircase that stitches together the basement, ground, and second floors. As users descend, they encounter a series of unfolding scenes, including a badminton court, a swimming pool, and a tea room tucked into a shaded niche. Ascending leads to a sun-filled gym and a softly lit community library.
The distinctive metal mesh facade of Lacy Steps Garden functions like a veil, draping the void with an airy transparency. Permeable and refined, it welcomes sunlight and rain, nurturing the lush area below while diffusing glare and hard edges. Through this mesh, the landscape design team at TROP: terrains + open space echoes the language of the surrounding architecture, fostering a visual continuity between building and landscape, inside and out.
The central platform, part amphitheater, part terrace, offers a flexible stage for everyday life. Its sculpted steps and built-in seating invite a range of informal activities, from morning tai chi to impromptu performances or quiet reading. Here, architecture offers a framework for spontaneity and community, where social interaction and solitude coexist. Even the railing’s curvature is fine-tuned for comfort, transforming infrastructure into intimate experience.
At a time when private residential developments often default to decorative greenery or isolated pockets of open space, Lacy Steps Garden offers a different proposition with its sculpted landscape that operates as infrastructure, atmosphere, and social condenser.
▲ TROP設計事務所設計了Lacy Steps花園住宅
TROP: terrains + open space introduces Lacy Steps Garden
▲ 場地內有深9m的下沉庭院,樓梯整體成雕塑形象,成為公共活動的核心空間
the nine-meter-deep sunken courtyard serves as a sculptural landmark and a communal living space
▲ 該項目設計的三層階梯巧妙地將建筑、配套設施與自然景觀聯系了起來
the project connects homes, amenities, and nature across three levels
▲ 當居民從樓梯頂部向下漫步,可以看到不同的庭院景觀,視野內容豐富
as users descend, they encounter a series of unfolding scenes
▲ Lacy Steps花園住宅的樓梯表面材質為白色金屬網,像是覆蓋了一層白紗,有著朦朧的感覺
the distinctive metal mesh facade of Lacy Steps Garden functions like a veil
▲ 庭院內的樓梯平臺兼具露天劇場與活動露臺的功能,為居民的日常生活提供了一個多姿多彩的舞臺
the central platform, part amphitheater, part terrace, offers a flexible stage for everyday life
▲ 該住宅的建立使得居民之間開始自發性的互動和進行社區活動
architecture offers a framework for spontaneity and community
▲ 樓梯整體輕盈通透,漂浮于庭院之上
draping the void with an airy transparency
▲ 平面圖 | 圖紙繪制:TROP設計事務所
plan | drawings byTROP: terrains + open space