HOTEL IN DÊQÊN
CLIENT
CITIC Capital
LOCATION
Dêqên, Yunnan Province, China
CATEGORY
Hospitality
PHOTOGRAPHY
Common Architecture
RENDERS
Parkade
Whilst the Shangri-La from literature may be a fictional paradise hidden from man, the eponymous city in China, bordering Tibet, is nonetheless an evocative place. Set in the north-western Yunnan Province, it’s a place that feels… ancient.
Our concept for this proposal for a new hotel took its cue from the ritual and rhythm of a day in a monastic sense, given the area’s strong Tibetan traditions. The site itself forms part of a protected wetland, surrounded by low hills, which bely the steeply mountainous terrain of the region. The area’s climate is extreme, with heavy snowfall in winter and warm summers, and so our design needed to account for comfort and efficiency whatever the season.
Traditional Tibetan architecture, in evidence all around the site, has incredible timber structures on stone or rammed earth bases. Our interpretation was to take this architectural heritage and invert and reimagine it for a resort hotel. We proposed entirely new buildings, though taking into account a beautiful existing stone foundation, with low, timber-clad structures looking out over the raw beauty of the wetlands.
Sparse interiors, with finishes of wood, copper and steel, evoke the simplicity of a monastery without sacrificing the comfort a resort guest would expect.
A sanctuary for quiet reflection and meditation.
