5 Star Hotel |300 Guest Rooms | Parking |645,000 SF
Rising like a great bird along the shore of Jinji Lake, China, this 600,000 SF five star hotel creates an exciting focal point on the lakefront promenade and consists of two large pavilions mirrored by a wing-like hotel.
The architects took their design inspiration from Suzhou’s world-renowned gardens, which represent the essence of traditional Chinese architecture. A large, elliptical figure defines the territory and gives shape to the major elements: the exterior shopping colonnade, the major water features within the garden and the paving, planting and landscape elements that anchor the buildings.
Two four-story pavilions provide a courtyard and garden with an elegant backdrop. The North Pavilion houses a large restaurant and banquet facility, a 210-car parking facility and a two-story bath center with a rooftop garden. The East Pavilion contains a large two-level gymnasium, a women’s spa, a hotel cafeteria and multipurpose rooms.
The two pavilions unite with a cubic form that rises from low pools of water, providing an interesting counterpoint to the elliptical hotel entry tower. The roofs are formed of metal panel walls bent to create an overhang that provides shelter at the upper terrace levels. The cantilevered forms bring an element of lightness while maintaining the spirit of the traditional Chinese flying eave.
