Location: Hangzhou, China.

Architect: The Design Institute Of Landscape & Architecture China Academy Of Art CO.LTD..

The resort site is located in an environmentally sensitive area with a catchment lake in its central. It is expected to become a countryside leisure and holiday land, inspired by a famous Yuan Dynasty painting. The resort is the first high-end hotel in the area and is anticipated to play a positive role in countryside revitalization. The project follows the views of ecological development in modern Chinese countryside development practices. Low impact development measurements are applied in many aspects, such as minimizing construction intervention by following the original topography for vehicle routes and building stilts on steep mountains. Trees are evaluated in priority in the building plan, and soils and stones produced in construction are reused for building retaining walls or pavement materials. Rainwater is drawn into tunnels and led to the lake and streams, and artificial micro-ecological filters are utilized for wastewater treatment. Treated water is gathered into a pool before being pumped for recycling in landscaping and car washing, eliminating sewage discharge to Fuchun River. The project takes considerations to involve and awaken guests into nature, effectively achieving refreshment and tying them into the global wellness industry.

Photo credit: Aoguan Performance of Architecture.