Responsive to The Local Vernacular in Form and Material

Responsive to the local vernacular in form and material, the XY Yunlu Hotel is an extension of its village context realised in contemporary detailing. In the background of steep and dominating hills, the hotel comes as a respite with its horizontal, spatially soothing design, with an accent on sweep and ﬂow. Sensitive to the local culture and designed around the village without creating any new boundaries to the locals, it picks up on the rhythms of daily life for both visitors and villagers alike. The pool structure is masterful in its own right and demonstrates the design team’s skill with precision and versatile form.

Yun Lu is a boutique eco-resort nestled within a village at the north-eastern part of Yangshuo, situated along the dramatic landscape of the Li River. The site consists of nine renovated old farm houses and one new addition, which functions as an all-day dining restaurant for hotel guests. Taking on a sensitive approach to the local culture with villagers still living nearby, the overall planning and landscape design blends into the original village structure without creating new boundary conditions to the villagers.

The rammed earthed buildings were retroﬁtted to accommodate refreshing and uncompromisingly contemporary living, while the new restaurant addition adopts an understated presence with the use of steel frame, glass pivot doors in contrast with the locally sourced rough-cut stone blocks, charcoal treated wooden louvers and terra-cotta roof tiles to provide a rich tactile experience.

The spatial dialogue and sense of continuity between the old and the new buildings maintain an order of symbiosis between the foreign (hotel) and the local (village). The same design principle extends into the interior space of the hotel. The dialogue between people, space, light and landscape is carefully thought out. Each typical building consists of four guest rooms with a shared living and hangout space in the center. Bamboo, wood, galvanised steel, concrete ﬁnishes and pebble washed stones are main materials being used in interior spaces. Most of wood beams and existing wooden doors were refurbished and reused.

Project Information

Project Name: XY Yunlu Hotel

Location: China

Architect: Yuyang Liu