Enjoy 2 free articles a month. For unlimited access, get a membership now.

Lanye Heting Guesthouse

Boundary Space Design

SAVE SUBMISSION
Bronze
Sketch: the overall layout and patio area of the section and elevation - Sanxiu HUANG
Photograph: In the corridor on the west side of the patio area looking to the east, the beautiful ancient village landscape of Hongcun is incorporated into the window frame - Minjie Wang
Photograph: Looking at the entrance from the open-air walkway - Minjie Wang
Sketch: the overall layout and patio area of the section and elevation - Sanxiu HUANG

1 / 17

Comments
Innovation
Functionality
Creativity
Eco-Social Impact
Total
JURY VOTES
Hotel
5.58
5.80
5.96
5.40
5.69
Lara Francis El Hani
Lara Francis El Hani Senior Manager Interior Design – Head of Department at Kling Consult
5.94
6.1
6.19
6.19
6.11
Shamsudin Kerimov
Shamsudin Kerimov Founder at Kerimov Architects
5.99
5.91
6
5.88
5.95
Carmelo Zappulla
Carmelo Zappulla CEO at External Reference
5
7
5
5
5.5
Anette Skeie
Anette Skeie Head of Design at Norco Interior
5.5
7
5.5
5.5
5.88
Agata Kurzela
Agata Kurzela Founder and Design Director at Agata Kurzela Studio
The ascetic palette of the project...
6.5
7
8
5
6.63
Mireia Luzarraga
Mireia Luzarraga Cofounder at TAKK
3.99
5.81
5
3.97
4.69
Louisa Fan
Louisa Fan Director of Design Luxury and Lifestyle Brand at IHG ® Hotels & Resorts
Its a beautiful project, but as a h...
7
5
5
6
5.75
Javier Guzman
Javier Guzman Cofounder at Zooco Estudio
4.09
3.61
5
4.65
4.34
Jukka Halminen
Jukka Halminen Founder and Creative Director at Design Office Koko3
5.56
6.26
6.75
5.35
5.98
Lori Ferriss
Lori Ferriss Executive Director at Built Buildings Lab
5
5.98
6.72
2.66
5.09
Alex Mok
Alex Mok Cofounder at Linehouse
7
6
7
4
6
Rahul Bansal
Rahul Bansal Architect at group dca
3.7
5.48
4.21
7
5.1
Leali Ezzat
Leali Ezzat Founder and Design Director at ELE Interior
5.86
5.86
6.5
6.18
6.1
Vineeta Singhania Sharma
Vineeta Singhania Sharma Founder at Confluence
7.61
6.07
7.7
7.03
7.1
Allen Zhou
Allen Zhou Founder at Shengtang Shijia Design Studio
5.89
6.31
6.31
6.47
6.25
Ziwei Guo
Ziwei Guo Founder and Director at Pure Design
6
5
6
6
5.75
Yang Yan
Yang Yan Founder and Chief Architect at y.ad studio
4.21
4.13
4.46
5
4.45
Client
Lanye Heting Guesthouse
Floor area
700 ㎡
Completion
2023

The project, situated in Hongcun Village, eastern China, focused on guest accommodation, dining, and tea services.

As a traditional house, the project posed many challenges due to its blurred boundaries and overlaped spaces, as well as regarding whether to reten the ancient decorative elements. Meticulous planning were exercuted due to its complex layout resulting from generations of expansions.

The main building's ground floor served reception and dining, while guest rooms occupied the second floor.

The front hall, acting as a reception area, featured a shallow pool and reformed walls concealing the original building's abandoned staircase. Views were integrated through holes on this wall to create connections among a series of rooms in the house. The patio of the main building underwent vertical division in this design, creating a funnel-shaped enclosure, addressing lighting and zoning needs. The water surface beneath the patio enhanced sunlight reflection, while bronze panels emitted a subtle aesthetic.

A winding corridor was inserted into the garden integrating the flow lines from the interior to the exterior, creating a sense of boundlessness over the water surface and the lightweight structure of the pavilion, while leading rainfalls into the pool.

The pavilion, inward-facing with glass walls offering transparency and lightness, was separated into two differently sized sections from the middle of the original enclosed structure. The interior is entirely black, serving as a backdrop to the large expanses of glass, and being in the dark interior enhances the experience of slow-paced moments in the shadowy light.

The storage shed situated seperately at the back of the courtyard was transformed into a tea room with soft and gentle lighting, suitable for intimate tea gatherings of a small group of people.

Guest rooms, on the second floor, provided respective unique views from each angles, fostering a retreat from daily life.

In conclusion, the project emphasized space manipulation, akin to wandering through a garden, prioritizing sensory experiences over symbolic architecture in traditional Chinese aesthetics.

The overall view of the project, from the entrance opening onto a long alley, through the interior passageways, to the foyer and dining area, guest rooms, and then to the courtyard, winding corridor, pavilion, and rear yard, all emphasize the manipulation of space through concealment and penetration. The roaming through space brings about a bodily sensation akin to wandering through a garden for the experiencer in an atmosphere of traditional Chinese aestetics.