Floating hotel
In Anji, a rural region three hours from Shanghai, MORE Architecture designed a boutique hotel which seems to float above the hills. The building, situated in the middle of the mountainous bamboo forests, establishes an immersive relationship with nature.
Over the past 40 years, China has changed from a rural to an urban society. Now, the country has the largest and most densely populated cities in the world. After decades of industrialization and urbanization, China's vast middle class has time and money to spend. Growing domestic tourism is causing Chinese city dwellers to flee their megacities on weekends. They are attracted by rural life: back to nature.
The 'floating hotel' fits in seamlessly with this demand. It is the first building in Dachangping, a mountainous area in the south of Anji. This bamboo-rich region forms the green heart of the most urbanized area in the world: the Yangtze River Delta.
The boutique hotel consists of three floors: the top floor with the folded roof holding the main amenities; then, a floor with the hotel rooms. At the bottom, sitting against the mountain, a swimming pool and logistics.
'We used the classic idea of the large, striking roof that brings people together,' explains architect Daan Roggeveen. 'It is reminiscent of the traditional Chinese roof, but its shape is also an echo of the surrounding mountains.' Under this folded roof, made of zinc, the architects created four different transparent collective spaces: the lobby, a yoga room, the restaurant and an event space for weddings and parties, overlooking the dramatic valley.
The roof also ensures a gradual transition between nature and architecture. Guests move under the roof, over the terrace through the open air, from one glass room to another. Through the French doors, the terrace forms the transition between inside and outside.
The hotel's eighteen rooms are remarkably located under the main amenities. Hotel guests go to their rooms via staircases in the outdoors. The hotel has no closed corridors, so guests are in constant contact with nature and the environment.
Instead of the corridor access that is so typical in hotels, the architects designed three different room types in the hotel – single loaded, double loaded and suites on the corners of the building. Some rooms are extremely wide with great views. Others are extremely deep, with views to both sides. The outdoor corridor winds past these rooms. “We did not want to use a regular hotel floorplan at such a special location, but wanted to create unique places,” says Roggeveen.
Steel columns raise the hotel eight meters above the hills, creating a dramatic space under the building. This is where the swimming pool with changing rooms were designed. By lifting the building, nature runs uninterruptedly beneath the hotel.
