Longyou Hotel

Longyou is located in western Zhejiang Province, China. It is a historic city with a rich cultural heritage. The Ming and Qing Dynasty traditional residences are considered masterpieces of architectural art and occupy an important position in ancient traditional architecture in the Jiangnan region. The site is located south of the Longyou Folk House Garden, adjacent to Lingshan River and close to the city’s main road. The goal of the design is to create a city art lounge with distinctive Longyou cultural symbols. The outstanding landscape resources of the site provide a more independent and open starting point for the design.

The overall planning layout is based on the prototype of traditional Jiangnan water villages. The public spaces and the composition of public and private spaces in traditional villages are particularly important research objects. The design extracts the iconic public space elements of the village core, water mouth, alleys, and water channels, and continues the scale system of traditional street space. At the same time, the scheme also extracts the characteristics of the composition of multiple alleys in traditional villages, establishing a windmill-shaped grid system.

The buildings adopt simple geometric profiles. The control lines of the horizontal system have a strong artificial feel, which sets off the simple silhouette of the building. The low skyline reflects in the central water courtyard, and the sky is mirrored in the water, giving people a particularly open feeling, which contrasts with the winding path at the entrance. The height difference of the entire hotel is controlled within a very small range, so that all indoor and outdoor spaces can be smoothly transitioned, and the sharp boundaries are eliminated. The sense of peace and stability emerges naturally in the continuous walking experience.

Standing in the center of the site, looking west to the riverside and south to the wetland park, the picture scroll composed of the courtyard waterscape seems to have no boundaries. The ground plane extends to the endless nature from underfoot. The overall village attempts to present a maze for modern people, a place where old and new overlap. In this way, “tradition” and “modernity” are beyond the definitions given by the specific styles of the era, and are reduced to abstract language. The peace and tranquility obtained in the walk is also the most anticipated gift for every visitor.

The design aims to connect the north and south river embankments, with the protection of natural landscapes as the main focus. The embankments are strengthened, the landscape structures are repaired, and a landscape route surrounding the park is created to lead residents into the wetland park to the south. The wetland park is hoped to be turned into an attractive tourist destination. The entire area is connected by trails and sports trails, with a large number of leisure facilities while retaining its unique natural landscape. The new park roads integrate the nearby natural areas and the park into a unified landscape walking space. The park introduces hydrophilic plants and builds a series of pedestrian bridges. As a result, a series of ecological trails with observation decks have appeared in the park.

The design of the Longyou Modern Village is a bold and innovative attempt to combine traditional and modern elements. The simple geometric profiles of the buildings and the windmill-shaped grid system create a sense of order and harmony. The overlapping scrolls of the waterscape and the landscape belt create a sense of peace and tranquility. The design is a valuable addition to the cultural landscape of Longyou and will provide a unique and memorable experience for visitors.