YANGZHOU, China—Like a fortress protecting its denizens, Tsingpu Yangzhou Retreat—a small boutique style hotel—comprises a grid-like network of dark, reclaimed brick walls which surround a series of peaceful courtyards, guest rooms and service areas, Dezeen writes.
Openings in the walls and roofs of the corridors allow natural light to enter these spaces, which create an elongated sense of perspective due to their narrow width.
Shanghai-based studio Hu & Neri, led by Rossana Hu and Lyndon Neri, was charged with creating the resort
Dezeen writes the studio was asked to adapt and repurpose some of the old existing structures, while integrating new elements. Their solution: a grid of brick walls and pathways that weave together old and new spaces transforming the site a cluster of interconnected rooms and courtyards.
“The inspiration for the design originates with the courtyard house typology of vernacular Chinese architecture.
As with the traditional courtyard, the courtyard here gives hierarchy to the spaces, frames views of the sky and earth, encapsulates landscape into architecture, and creates an overlap between interior and exterior.”
The resort is located close to the Slender West Lake scenic resort near Yangzhou’s historic center—a site dotted with small manmade lakes making it a popular destination among tourists.
Photography: Pedro Pegenaute
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