PUATMAN

**Above Time**

PUATMAN is located in Zhengzhou, a city shaped by thousands of years of Central Plains civilization while continuously evolving as a contemporary metropolis. In response to this cultural depth, the design avoids directly reproducing historical architecture or decorative motifs. Instead, it translates the principles of order, ceremony, spatial layering and coexistence with nature into a clubhouse connecting regional memory with contemporary community life.

A ceremonial axis establishes the spatial framework. Openings, transitions, framed views and changing light create a gradual journey from public to private and from monumental to intimate. The entrance hall uses symmetry and extended sightlines to establish a sense of arrival, while screens, grilles and transparent boundaries define individual functions without interrupting visual continuity. As visitors move through the clubhouse, gardens, plants and daylight appear as shifting scenes rather than static decoration.

Natural stone, warm wood, metal, art glass and handwoven elements form a restrained yet tactile material palette. The bespoke installation *Beyond Time* takes inspiration from flowering pine branches, bringing the passage of seasons and traces of time into the interior. Above the bar, handcrafted woven lighting evokes ripples on water, allowing craft to shape illumination, scale and atmosphere simultaneously.

Reception, tea, dining, entertainment and relaxation areas are arranged as a continuous and adaptable sequence. The clubhouse supports community gatherings while also providing quieter settings for conversation and retreat.

The project’s innovation lies in transforming cultural expression from recognizable symbolism into lived spatial experience: order becomes ceremony, circulation becomes a garden journey, light reveals time, and materials preserve a connection between people and place. PUATMAN is therefore conceived as a contemporary space “above time”—one that establishes a restrained, warm and evolving relationship between the enduring spirit of the Central Plains and modern life.