fbpx DAN | Daily Architecture News The Tsingpu Yangzhou Retreat in China by Neri&Hu - DAN | Daily Architecture News
The Tsingpu Yangzhou Retreat in China by Neri&Hu

The Tsingpu Yangzhou Retreat in China by Neri&Hu

News
19-01-2021
WATCH: Highlights from the world of architecture and design.

Situated on a peaceful plot surrounded by small lagoons, in close proximity to the scenic Slender West Lake in China’s Jiangsu Province, the Tsingpu Yangzhou Retreat in China presented Shanghai-based architectural design practice Neri&Hu with its fair share of challenges. The firm – which was co-founded by Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu – reused several existing structures for the boutique hotel, bestowing them with updated functions fit for hotel service, while also adding new structures to unify the site and complement the serene locale.

In bringing the project to life, the key source of inspiration for the designers was the courtyard house typology of vernacular Chinese architecture. Neri&Hu connected the peaceful interior spaces and the partially enclosed pathways – which lead guests through the hotel – with multiple patios that adopt the essential role of establishing a hierarchy among old and new structures.

Built entirely from reclaimed grey-toned bricks, the walls of the new transition areas offer perspective and frame views of the land and sky, while the various brick-laying techniques, including an open-air ‘lattice’ method of construction, facilitates eye-pleasing light and shadow play throughout the day.   

Dotted with contemplative nooks, the lodging hosts only 20 rooms – ranging from 33 to 78 square meters in size – each adorned with natural materials such as dark timbers and stone that echo the earthy palette of the surrounding environment. Viewed from a reclined bathtub position in the bathrooms, the skylight openings offer guests uninterrupted skyward glimpses, increasing the communion with nature.

A selection of the hotel’s many courtyards were transformed into small yet charming gardens, abundant in verdant foliage, while others accommodate shallow reflection pools. A formerly derelict warehouse building was renovated to include a new concrete addition and now houses the hotel’s restaurant, a theatre and an exhibition space. Here, guests are welcome to join cooking classes and dine on organic cuisine at long communal tables that promote a sense of community among travellers. The lakeside pavilion contains four additional guestrooms.

For the designers, blending architecture and landscape was key throughout the process of realising the Tsingpu Yangzhou Retreat, characterised by the firm’s use of rustic yet poetic materiality. In every direction, the hotel’s neatly gridded walls and patchwork of courtyards and passageways intertwine to create a harmonious balance between void and matter, private and public, and sky and earth, placing traditional Chinese architecture on a new path paved with contemporary influences.

neriandhu.com

Tsingpu Yangzhou Retreat

Related stories

Advertisement
Login to join the conversation

Subscriber comments are moderated first. Respect others. Criticise ideas, not people. No offensive language View commenting guidelines

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Further Reading
View all in News
Cole Hair Studio in Double Bay by Nickolas Gurtler Office
Finding resonance with Nickolas’ razor-sharp design style, Mariah commissioned NGO to transform her commercial site on New South Head Road into a thrumming hair hub, where edginess and “adventurousness,” Nickolas says, could share the spotlight with a fair share of socialites. But first, the designer and his team needed to overcome the ghosts of hair-salons […]
News
07-07-2222
'Pure gold': Au79 cafe at Chadstone by Mim Design 
In addition to this, the client’s brief included the desire to create “a moment of pure gold,” Miriam reveals, prompting her team at Mim Design to craft a textural, gilded oasis within the confines of Chadstone. The dramatic, vaulted glass ceiling above the pill-shaped site inspired the designers to explore ideas of replicating a greenhouse […]
News
28-06-2222
Galei Kinneret Hotel in Israel by Saar Zafrir Design
Dating back to 1946, the Galei Kinneret boasts a rich and storied history. The founder, inspired by a trip she took to the Villa d’Este hotel on Lake Como, fitted it out with Persian rugs and antiques she had procured from all over the world. While its monumental facade has remained intact, its latest reimagining […]
News
16-06-2222
Open to the elements: A tropical brutalist villa in Bali
A minimalist facade with a curved wall clad in cream tiles serves as a slip entrance to the villa and was inspired by the arched ceilings of Sydney’s train tunnels, a feature the Australian owner researched as part of the project. At the top of the site are two bedrooms followed by a decline of […]
News
14-06-2222
Haute hotel: Inside the long-awaited Aman New York
Guided by the pulse of the city and imbued with Aman’s inimitable design philosophy – one that pays homage to the striking architectural history of the original building – Aman New York is a lesson in understated elegance and urban comfort. The hotel welcomes its guests 14 floors above street level, where a double-height atrium instills […]
News
11-06-2222
Hotel Cala Di Volpe in Sardinia by Moinard Bétaille Agency
A retelling of sorts, Moinard Bétaille’s gentle approach to the renovation of Hotel Cala di Volpe on Sardinia’s Costa Smeralda pays homage to its original architect, the late “sculptor of houses” Jacques Couëlle, with a new narrative that speaks of a storied past while being anchored firmly in the present. Four years in the making, […]
News
09-06-2222

Back to Top