Situated on the historically rich Jiangxin Island in Wenzhou, this project presents a unique challenge: how to design an art hotel that respects the island’s natural beauty and cultural significance while shaping a vision for its future. Jiangxin Island, a beacon of maritime trade for over a thousand years, is also the birthplace of more than 800 Chinese poems. These legacies—both natural and cultural—demand a thoughtful response in the design of the hotel, balancing preservation with innovation.
Unlike conventional hotel models, this design seeks to integrate the built form with the island’s landscape. The architecture consists of a series of small, sculptural volumes that blend into the natural surroundings, allowing the site’s topography to guide the layout. By responding to the mountain and water patterns of the island, the buildings sit atop the landscape, evoking the historical presence of the island's twin towers. The arrangement of the volumes creates a dynamic interplay of perspectives, drawing views of both the city and the surrounding nature into the site.
At the heart of the design lies an art gallery, which serves as a cultural anchor for the project. The gallery is seamlessly integrated with the hotel’s public and private spaces, creating a multi-level, art- and landscape-driven experience. The undulating topography and water features weave between the ground floor and upper levels, connecting interior hotel programs with exterior public spaces. This integration not only enhances the aesthetic experience for visitors but also preserves public access to the natural resources surrounding the site, promoting a deeper sense of connection to the landscape.
Inspired by traditional Chinese gardening principles, the path from the drop-off to the lobby is intentionally elongated, guiding guests through a poetic bamboo forest that gradually unfolds into wider vistas. This journey leads visitors through shifting perspectives, inviting them to experience both the art and the landscape in a harmonious flow. Meanwhile, the hotel’s unique layout places the check-in lobby and guest rooms on the second floor, dedicating the ground level to an open park and garden space for both guests and the public. This maximizes land use, while preserving the island’s role as a public space and ensuring the community continues to have access to its natural beauty.
In its essence, this project seeks not only to preserve the island's past but to build a future where architecture and nature exist in harmony. The hotel, embedded within the landscape, becomes a living Shanshui painting, where the mist and rain that characterize the island's beauty are captured in both form and experience. The design honors Jiangxin Island’s rich history while offering a new, poetic space for both visitors and locals to engage with its natural and cultural heritage.