Golden A' Design Award Winner 2020
The spatial narrative encoded within He Zhou's Resort interior functions as a meditation on threshold and sanctuary, where the expansive window operates not merely as aperture but as a frame for contemplating nature as living artwork, suggesting traditional scroll painting traditions translated into architectural experience. The material vocabulary of weathered timber carries associations of temporal depth, wisdom accumulated through aging, and the honest expression of natural processes, these surfaces speaking to values of authenticity and continuity with craft traditions. The gabled ceiling form evokes archetypal shelter, the primordial tent or the sacred roof that defines protected space beneath, creating psychological containment even as the window dissolves physical boundaries. The tea service positioned centrally activates rich cultural associations with hospitality rituals, meditative practice, and the aesthetics of ceremony, transforming the dining table into an altar of daily practice. The triadic arrangement of bed, table, and window establishes a symbolic geography of rest, nourishment, and contemplation, the three essential territories of retreat. Color relationships encode thermal and emotional content, the warm earth tones of interior timbers suggesting hearth and embrace while the cool greens beyond the glass represent the vital but untamed natural world. The vertical scroll painting introduces artistic tradition as presence, suggesting lineage and cultural continuity. The paper lanterns flanking the bed emit warm amber light reminiscent of fire or sun, ancient sources of comfort and orientation. The overall spatial choreography proposes dwelling as spiritual practice, where every element serves both function and meaning, inviting inhabitants into conscious relationship with shelter, sustenance, and the natural cycles visible through thoughtfully positioned openings.
The project lies in Suichang, a county with thousands of years of cultural connotations. The overall design integrates artwork and time-honored objects into the interior decorations, retaining the primitive simplicity as well as the functionality and modern style. Local bamboo and green plants are used as natural decorations of the guest room, echoing with the scenery outside the window. The past is carved into every old beam and column, brick wall, earth wall, and every hand-polished furniture, which, together with idyllic outdoor scenes, manifests an ideal lifestyle.