This five-image record focuses on the ground-floor office lobby at Vanke Metropolis in Xuzhou, Jiangsu. LOPO’s project archive identifies a 639 m² lobby and the use of terracotta panels on columns and curved wall surfaces. The images show a controlled palette of pale floor and ceiling finishes, warm vertical surfaces and carefully integrated service access.
The earlier article was written as a first-person architect narrative and attached exterior-facade performance claims to an interior fit-out. This revision keeps the design observations and every original body image while separating documented project facts, visible interior details and information that still requires an approved product schedule.
Project record and attribution
| Project area | Ground-floor office lobby, Vanke Metropolis, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China. |
|---|---|
| Published size | 639 m². The supplier page presents this as the lobby project area; it is not a terracotta purchase quantity. |
| Owner | Xuzhou Vanke Enterprises Co., Ltd., as listed in LOPO’s January 2025 project record. |
| Design credits | Lingjie Architecture (VVS Design) for architectural design and HeYu Landscape Design Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. for landscape design. |
| Photography | Wanjun Visual – Liang Jun, according to the same project record. |
| Material record | LOPO terracotta panels; no item code, dimensions, finish code, quantity or installation package is published. |
The broader Xuzhou Vanke development has also been published under translated names including Vanke New Metropolis. This page stays with the identity used by the LOPO lobby record and does not transfer credits or quantities from other buildings or landscape packages.
A 2019 Taiwan Architecture record independently associates the broader Xuzhou Vanke development with VVS and HeYu. It does not identify this 639 m² lobby fit-out or its terracotta package, so the lobby-specific fields remain attributed to LOPO’s dated supplier page.
How the terracotta shapes the lobby sequence
The first two photographs show the material working through repetition rather than ornament. Slender vertical faces wrap the columns and continue along gently curving walls. Their warm, fine-grained appearance contrasts with the pale floor, reflective metal and illuminated ceiling, while the repeated joints give scale to the long circulation space.
The original text compared the wall rhythm to piano keys and “frozen music.” That is a useful visual reading, not a technical specification. To reproduce the effect, the design team would need to control module width, joint width, corner and curve strategy, vertical alignment, cut-piece locations, surface range and the relationship between panels and lighting.
Coordinate doors, fire equipment and access panels
The third image is particularly useful because it shows service equipment integrated into the wall composition. Visual continuity cannot come at the expense of identification, reach, opening clearance, inspection or emergency use. The responsible designers and authorities must confirm local requirements for fire-hydrant and extinguisher cabinets, signs, locks, door swings and unobstructed access.
Set out the module
Align panel joints with doors, reveals, skirtings, ceilings and adjacent materials before releasing fabrication.
Keep access functional
Record hinges, latches, handles, clear openings and removable panels on coordinated shop drawings.
Check replacement
Confirm how a damaged unit can be removed without blocking services or disturbing neighbouring finishes.
Approve appearance under actual interior conditions
Interior terracotta is seen at close range and under controlled artificial light. Small variations in joint alignment, colour, texture, edge quality and reflected sheen can therefore be more noticeable than on a distant facade. The approval process should include a representative range of pieces, a curved or corner condition, adjacent metalwork and the proposed lighting temperature and direction.
Finish boundary: photographs cannot confirm the exact colour, surface treatment, stain resistance, cleaning method or acceptable production range. Use a signed control sample and agreed visual acceptance criteria rather than matching a screen image.
Define the product and installation package
The published material record does not state whether every warm vertical surface uses the same panel, nor does it give section, thickness, length, finish, backing, adhesive or mechanical fixing details. It also does not support the earlier claims about weather resistance, thermal insulation or indoor-temperature regulation. Those exterior or whole-building outcomes are not demonstrated by this lobby archive.
- exact panel drawings, surface and colour range, tolerances and edge treatment;
- substrate, fixing or bonding method, joints, corners, curves and movement provisions;
- fire, impact, falling-object and indoor-emissions requirements applicable to the assembly;
- door, cabinet, socket, signage, skirting, ceiling and lighting interfaces;
- mock-up scope, inspection criteria, cleaning method and replacement access; and
- quantities by type, spare stock, packing, delivery sequence and installer responsibility.
Review terracotta panels for an interior project
Share plans and elevations, panel zones, required module and finish, substrate, corners and curves, service openings, performance criteria, preliminary quantities, installation location and programme. LOPO can then review manufacturing feasibility and prepare relevant samples and product information.