In the desirable and rapidly growing Sanlin area of the Pudong district in Shanghai, just off the picturesque Huangpu River, Jardin des Lys redefines luxury living in a serene, classical park-like setting. Spanning nearly 6.5 hectares (approx. 15 acres), this multifamily development seamlessly integrates midrise residential towers and multilevel luxury villas within meticulously crafted landscapes.
This exclusive community offers 231 residential units, including 157 tower residences and 74 luxury villas, surrounded by lush greenery inspired by classical French gardens with a contemporary twist. The lily motif, a nod to the project’s namesake, is thoughtfully incorporated into both the softscape and hardscape designs. Additionally, the eastern and western sections of the property feature localized design elements inspired by the sun and the moon, enhancing the overall theme of duality and balance.
The landscape design is an elegant extension of the architectural vision, offering a unique combination of structured classical gardens and stylized naturalistic areas reminiscent of European royal parks. Residents are invited to enjoy a variety of experiences through a series of strolling pathways, intimate garden destinations, and expansive plazas. The formal gardens align with the main architectural axes, offering symmetry and order, while larger activity spaces, children’s play areas, and serene nature trails create opportunities for both community gatherings and personal retreat. Patterned stone paving reinforces the classical aesthetic, with intricate sun and moon motifs tying into the property’s unique geographic layout. Sculptural carved stone fountains and marble mosaic-lined basins add dynamic visual and auditory elements throughout the landscape, while European-style ornamental metalwork in arches, pavilions, and backdrops imbues the space with timeless sophistication.
For the villa residences, tall hedge walls and private entry portals create secluded garden sanctuaries for each home, while canal-side villas offer sweeping views of the surrounding water and cityscape, blending privacy with connection to nature.
Jardin des Lys offers residents a living experience that transcends the ordinary. Classical elegance is balanced with modern-day functionality. Every detail, from grand gardens to intimate retreats, has been thoughtfully designed to celebrate beauty, tranquility, and community.
This luxury residential community for the discerning buyer consists of numerous spacious villas, each with their own extensive private gardens. Inspired by classical French architecture and landscape design, the community is very unique in that each villa is sold complete with its interior and landscape already installed, which ensures a level of quality and design continuity throughout.
Upon entering the property through a guarded entry, residents are guided through a series of courtyard gardens, to build drama as well as provide a sense of tranquility and seclusion from the outside. The landscape architecture of these gardens reflects the grand clubhouse building, articulated in the carved limestone and marble cladding and elaborate gilt ornamental metalwork.
Elements in the gardens continue this high classical style, featuring sculptural fountains of carved stone and cast bronze, and dramatic reflecting pools lined in mosaic marble tile. Extensive use of large trees that provide fall and spring color, as well as the many parterre flower gardens, provide a constantly changing scene throughout the year.
Every villa’s design is unique and feels separate from its neighbor, and is designed specifically for its floorplan. Fourteen-foot high walls offer privacy and a sense of security to the gardens which include outdoor kitchens, covered living and dining spaces, focal carved stone fountains, and koi ponds. Lawn areas and parterre gardens round out the verdant environments. In addition, the residents are granted extended access to neighboring private parks, gardens and children’s adventure areas, also designed by Lifescapes International.
Amidst stellar entertainment and duty-free shopping, hidden away in the most intimate area of the Cotai Strip, lies this classic hotel. An elegant Portuguese colonial-style hotel nestled in a tropical setting, the Four Seasons Macau offers five outdoor pool areas and swim lagoons catering to the young and young-at-heart. Many tropical trees and palms were imported from all over southern China to create the property’s mature resort environment.
Nestled in the heart of Guangzhou, the GT Land Olympic Mall has undergone a transformative redesign, reimagining its decades-old multi-level interior retail space into a dynamic, tropical oasis. This 200-meter-long by 65-meter-wide central corridor now captivates visitors with a lush and flowing environment, where architecture and landscape seamlessly intertwine to redefine the shopping experience.
Collaborating closely with the project’s architects, we strategically cut away sections of the original floors to create better connectivity, dynamic sightlines, and invite more natural light into the space. This bold approach opened up the mall’s core, offering an inviting and airy atmosphere. To further break the rigidity of the original design, we incorporated undulating lines and organic forms into the architecture and landscape, evoking the natural movement of rippling water.
This fluidity extends to every element of the mall’s redesign. Meandering pathways guide visitors through a vibrant tropical garden, where tiered, stone-clad seating evokes the impression of earth shaped by flowing water. These seating forms not only provide social destinations but also establish a connection to the natural world, reinforced by the cascading greenery and fountains that animate the gardens.
The interplay of nature and design continues with intimate seating areas, nature-inspired play zones, pop-up retail opportunities, and a lively food hall. A 35-meter diameter rotunda anchors the central space, surrounded by mature palms and trees that shade a patterned grey granite plaza. At its heart, a raised dancing water fountain doubles as a focal point and a stage for events, making it a vibrant hub of activity.
Adding a vertical dimension to the experience, a striking three-level ‘birdcage’ structure overlooks the rotunda. Each level offers a unique destination: a floor-to-ceiling aquarium, a live bird enclosure, and an overlook bar that provides unparalleled views of the lush environment below. Along the cut-out retail levels, sculptural seating ‘nests’ and decorative ‘birdcages’ serve as both visual draws and inviting retreats for shoppers.
Every element of the planting design was carefully curated to thrive under the existing skylights and windows. Structural columns were transformed into ‘tree trunks,’ enveloped in green wall plantings of live shrubs and accented by decorative metal branch planters that spiral upward with cascading greenery. These innovative features enhance the feeling of walking beneath a layered tree canopy, blurring the boundaries between the built and natural worlds.
Lifescapes revitalized and greatly expanded (to 120,000 sm, or 30 acres) an existing private park and man-made lake to provide an exclusive amenity to homeowners in nearby luxury communities Imperial Mansion and Beijing Demesne. Dubbed Hyde Park, because of its unique, royal-like proportions and amenities, the improvements not only invigorated the open space, they have contributed to the boost in sales at the neighboring properties.
Designed as a statement in contemporary landscape architecture, this modern park integrates specially designed areas with a classical European flare that complement the traditional gardens of Imperial Mansion. The juxtaposition of styles produced the fresh experience the client was looking for to set the development apart from others across China.
To take advantage of the grandeur of Lake Victoria, key vehicular and pedestrian routes were opened up to areas which were previously underutilized. The strolling and jogging path network was expanded to over 1,500 m (nearly a mile) long, improving the flow of traffic to destinations throughout the park. A focal point away from the lake is a 52 m (170 ft) diameter European fountain that features a dancing water show set to music and is surrounded by water plants and a grand shade pavilion.
There are sprawling lawn areas, perfect for community events, which roll into mounding berms with sculptural drama. The spiraling walkway leads down to a tree-lined amphitheater. Meanwhile, weaving through the property are meandering reflection pools – perfect spots for reflection and respite. An ambling 275 m (900 ft) spiral, meditation walk, “Flower Hill,” culminates in a dramatic domed folly at the top of the 6.5 m (21 ft) high peak in which to rest and enjoy the view of the surrounding patterned shrub planting.
A bridge with stylized contemporary scrollwork leads residents from Flower Hill to the forest garden, an area intended to provide another mood as well as a buffer to the adjacent, elevated train tracks. A large granite waterfall which connects the forest back to the park flows into a shallow pond, perfect for summertime play.
For the younger residents, LSI designed a 7,100 sm (1.75 acre) Kid’s Adventure Park on the other side of the lake, away from the rest of the park. Featuring extensive grade changes and custom-made play elements (balance beams, webbed rope equipment, musical play equipment, mazes, and tunnels), this destination promotes children’s mobility, agility and creativity. A terrace overlooks the activity zone while also creating a perfect spot for gatherings or birthday celebrations.
The planting selection offers numerous types of flowering and deciduous trees that offer color and shade for the warmer months, woven around a backbone of evergreen trees for year-round green as well as visual buffering. Beds of changing patterned annual color also wind through the landscape, greeting residents and guests throughout the seasons.
Majestic Mansion is situated on 90 acres along the western edge of the historic Summer Imperial Palace. As the first major residential project in this historically significant neighborhood, the design needed to be considered with great sensitivity and respect. Lifescapes created a palette of stately European gardens capturing sweeping views and vistas to complement the stately Classical European character of the architectural design. Beautiful roses, grand fountains, arbor-covered walkways, sculptural trees and elegant wrought-iron fencing, in part, shape the majesty of this very special, luxuriant community.
Overlooking the Huangpu River, One Sino Park is a lush, parklike oasis built on podium in the middle of downtown Shanghai. From contemporary, linear lines to rounded, natural elements; the design morphs throughout the various phases of the project.
There’s a feeling of prestige. . . from the moment you drive up to the porte cochere, you enter a series of gardens and breezeways that connect the 14 various towers. The stately sculpture garden adds an artistic elegance, and a water garden showcases a raised basin with arcing jets and trees that look like they are cut into the water.
The seven-star resort experience is enhanced by the glass and stone-tiled infinity-edge pool with recessed, elegantly-upholstered seating areas. Private cabanas and chaise lounges provide ample relaxation while dense shade trees provide refreshment in the hot, summer months.
Marble, granite and accents of tropical hardwoods are just some of the hardscape materials that flow throughout the geometrically shaped pathways and strolling gardens. Finally, the curvilinear shade structure, crescent-shaped fountains, meditation area, and playground round out the masterplan.
In the rapidly growing city of Yiwu, near Hangzhou, China, this high-rise residential development exemplifies the integration of contemporary architecture and thoughtfully designed landscapes. Spanning 4.75 hectares (11.75 acres), the project comprises glass-and-metal towers surrounded by lush private gardens, offering a harmonious blend of luxury living and urban convenience. Retail spaces along the perimeter create an energetic atmosphere while providing essential amenities for residents.
The landscape design reflects the clean, minimalistic aesthetic of the towers while honoring Yiwu’s history as a hub for textile production. Linear and flowing forms, inspired by fabric and stitching, create a dynamic visual experience that extends the architectural design language into the landscape. Sinuous pathways and planting beds mimic the fluid movement of textiles, enhancing views from the towers and establishing a strong sense of place. The interplay between linear geometry and organic shapes mirrors Yiwu’s balance of tradition and modernity.
Clipped hedges, linear planting beds with contrasting textures, and rows of stately trees create structure, while dynamic stone paving patterns add rhythm and movement. At key entry points, rectilinear reflection ponds, accented with sculptural focal points, provide a grand arrival experience and timeless elegance.
Private gardens foster both active and contemplative lifestyles, with spaces for relaxation, recreation, and connection. Playful seating areas and gathering spaces engage residents of all ages, while colorful children’s play zones and event lawns encourage interaction and exploration. Covered exercise and activity areas beneath the towers ensure year-round usability, sheltered from the elements.
This residential development balances aesthetics, functionality, and cultural relevance, resulting in a living environment that celebrates modern luxury while remaining rooted in Yiwu’s rich heritage.
Paradise City is the first fully integrated entertainment and gaming resort complex totaling 83 acres in Incheon, South Korea. Offering an unparalleled guest experience, this mega-resort combines a diverse range of hospitality, gaming, art gallery, retail amenities, and luxury spa that allow guests to experience leisure, beauty, and entertainment like no other in Northeast Asia.
The property encompasses 12 facilities, including a five-star hotel totaling 711 rooms, a family wing and pool villas, a premium casino equipped with state-of-the-art systems, and a K-style-themed convention center decked with a full-service entertainment bar.
Lifescapes International designed a large Las Vegas-style main entry, wedding gardens, private villas, and gardens that flow throughout the interior and exterior of the project, while infusing vibrant landscaping throughout the main resort-style pool, complete with an outdoor bar and private cabanas for an exciting night-life setting.
Italian villa elements and Mediterranean motifs, in addition to “hallyu” or Korean-pop culture, inspired the landscape design for this resort, which includes interior gardens and outdoor accent plantings with a spectrum of color and texture. The convergence of different cultures, including East and West, was balanced against a backdrop of indigenous trees and plants native to South Korea, including Hornbeam Bonsai, Weeping Willow, Cherry Blossoms, Konara Oak Trees, Sawleaf Zelkova, and Loropetalum, among others.
Lifescapes’ vision was to bring the vibrant energy of Las Vegas to Korea by integrating water features and immersive gardens, thereby heightening the dramatic element of the setting and cultivating an exceptional entertainment-driven experience.
The exquisite masterplan boasts a French classical style with beautiful courtyard gardens and seven majestic fountains. Bordering the Phoenix Peak mountainside, the grade changes and elevations create natural vantage points for gardens with stunning views.
From the moment you enter the roundabout with the magnificent arched gateway to the property, you know you are somewhere grand. Elaborate paving and granites of different finishes make up the hardscape, while courtyard gardens surround various “neighborhoods” inside.
Just beyond the gateway lies a 105ft (32m) long, custom-designed (and fabricated by Craig Bragdy Design), hand-carved clay tile fountain, surrounded by rich parterre gardens and clipped hedges. The scene in the fountain symbolizes the nearby Yellow Sea, with patterns reminiscent of a coral reef in resplendent hues of blue.
The 14,000sf (1,300sm) water garden, at the end of the main fountain, serves as a central courtyard, providing a visual reward to those who live in the towers above. Custom patterns in the hardscape and water garden were inspired by classical motifs, decorative tapestries, and chateau ceilings. From above, the view is beautiful, but the water garden also has graduated levels of height to allow for picturesque appeal to those on the ground. There are seating areas within the fountain for guests to relax and enjoy the visual splendor.
Phoenix Palace provides plenty of areas to relax or stroll. Throughout the property, paths lead to courtyard gardens, gathering areas under structures and shade gardens. Urns and balustrades line the walkways, and flourishing Ginkgo trees abound for beauty and shade.
Everywhere you turn, you are greeted with another visual masterpiece of textures and patterns.