Wood-look digital-inkjet terracotta gives the Kunming Shanhaihui Villa facades a warm field beside pale stone, dark glazing and deep roof edges.
This dated supplier case preserves all six original project photographs and explains what the archive does—and does not—establish about the finish, panel geometry and cladding system.
Project record at a glance
| Project | Kunming Shanhaihui Villa, also rendered 昆明山海会别墅 in LOPO’s Chinese project archive |
|---|---|
| Location | The “three peninsulas” area by Dianchi Lake in Kunming, Yunnan, China, according to LOPO’s supplier archive. A precise street address was not verified. |
| Development context | LOPO’s current project page describes more than 150 detached and duplex villas. Its 2020 article records total floor area of approximately 145,500 m² and refers to a first phase. The figure is development floor area, not terracotta area. |
| Developer record | The 2020 supplier article says the project was invested in and constructed by “YMCI.” The checked sources do not expand the acronym or establish legal project roles, so no fuller company name is inferred here. |
| Recorded palette | Warm wood-look digital-inkjet terracotta panels coordinated with light-gray stone, dark-framed glazing and metal elements |
| LOPO record | LOPO’s own archive identifies customized LOPO digital-inkjet terracotta panels as wall cladding. It does not document a designer, engineer, installer, facade contractor or complete-system contract role for LOPO. |
| Model, area and quantity | No item number, approved dimensions, terracotta area or piece count is disclosed. Retrieve the original submittal, purchase order, elevations, shop drawings and as-built schedule before using this as a procurement or replacement reference. |
| Team and year | Architect, design institute, facade consultant, contractors, installation date and completion year were not verified. Do not use the 2020 or 2021 article dates as completion dates. |
Read “3D wood-look inkjet” as finish language
The archive calls the product a “3D wood grain inkjet” terracotta panel. Three ideas need to remain separate. Inkjet describes how a visual pattern may be applied; wood-look describes the intended appearance; and 3D is a supplier series label whose physical meaning is not defined by the project record. It does not by itself prove carved relief, a textured glaze, print depth or any structural property.
Pattern and colour
Approve physical samples that show the intended warm tone, grain direction, pattern repeat and permitted variation. A photograph cannot define the production colour range.
Surface and geometry
Record whether the face is flat or profiled, its gloss and tactile texture, edge shape, back/profile and orientation. Confirm these from the named current product drawing.
System performance
Wind, self-weight, impact, water, fire, thermal, acoustic, weathering and cleaning performance belong to the tested product or complete assembly, not to “wood-look” or “3D” as visual terms.
Coordinate the printed field across the elevation
At Shanhaihui, the warm field is divided by long horizontal joints and shorter vertical joints, while selected areas and tall screens introduce vertical lines. For a new project, establish pattern direction and panel orientation on dimensioned elevations. Decide whether grain should continue, alternate or deliberately vary across adjacent units, returns, soffits and replacement pieces.
Digital pattern repetition may be more noticeable across a large regular field than on one sample. Review the available artwork set or print variants, map repeats where necessary, and approve a representative project mock-up under relevant daylight. The mock-up should include the actual joint colour, edge condition, corner strategy and an interface with the adjacent material.
Treat the legacy dimensions and installation note as unverified
The 2020 supplier article records straight-sided edges and states “height: 60 cm, thickness: 22 cm.” It provides no length, item number, axis diagram or technical sheet. A 22 cm cladding-panel thickness would also be an unusual reading, so the entry may contain a unit or translation error. It is preserved as a dated source issue, not converted to 22 mm and not published as an approved dimension.
The same article says a “structural hanging system” allowed horizontal and vertical installation and that joints were sealed with silicone weather-resistant sealant. That is a historical supplier description of this case, not a reusable construction detail. The record does not identify rails, brackets, clips, anchors, substrates, cavity, joint geometry, drainage path, sealant product, backing, movement capacity, fire stopping or testing.
Use this case as a finish-and-interface precedent
- project location/use, climate and exposure, elevations, quantities and programme;
- named current terracotta product, panel profile, dimensions, weight, edges/back and permitted tolerances;
- wood-look colour and grain range, print variants/repetition, orientation, gloss/texture and signed samples;
- joint type/colour, corners, returns, soffits, openings, base/parapet and adjacent stone, metal or glazing interfaces;
- substrate and support concept, complete-system structural/enclosure/fire criteria, configuration-matched evidence and mock-up tests; and
- production-batch control, delivery sequencing, installation QA, cleaning method, inspection plan and labelled replacement stock.
Review the current Terracotta Rainscreen page for product and system discussions, the Digital-Inkjet Terracotta Finish Guide for surface selection, and the Architectural Terracotta Gallery for other documented applications. Shanhaihui remains a visual and supplier-archive precedent, not a transferable specification.
Discuss a wood-look terracotta facade
Share the location, elevations, target pattern and colour range, panel orientation, interfaces, substrate and support route, applicable criteria, quantities, programme, mock-up plan and required evidence. Current product availability and complete-system suitability must be confirmed for the proposed configuration.