Recovering a home from 300 years ago. Wuyuan Skywells Hotel by anySCALE
05/12/2018.
[Wuyuan, Jiang Xi Province] China
metalocus, LUIS ANDRES DE JUANES
metalocus, LUIS ANDRES DE JUANES
“This project was an almost unanimous winner with the judges who were impressed by the ‘lightness of touch’ of the modern interventions introduced into the 300-year-old historic building to provide a modicum of 21st century comfort necessary in the transformation of the building for hospitality use. With interiors sensitively renovated with Zen-like charm and simplicity, and maintaining the grandeur, elegance and beauty of the original wood and stone features, the historic narrative of the building lives on with its new custodians preserving the past for generations to come.” LEAF Award Jury
Description of project by anySCALE
The Wuyuan Skywells’ finished form strikes a sophisticated balance between Chinese heritage and modern comfort. The team respectfully restored the 300-year-old mansion, neglected for decades, to its former glory.
The team approached restoration not only with the intent of creating a high-end boutique hotel experience, but that of invigorating the essence of the building, and upgrading it while honoring its spirit and history.
Heritage architectural features such as the Tian Jing (Skywells) that let in light into the inner courtyards, the timber frame, and elaborate wooden carvings in courtyards were either painstakingly renovated, or fully recreated with the help of meticulously-sourced local craftsmen.
The contemporary interiors of the 14 suites ensconced within the early Qing era design lend the property a subtle contrast with traditional Huizhou-style design in public areas, inspiring awe in guests’ minds.
Elegant, luxurious, and wholly authentic, the edifice integrates tastefully with its physical context- the millennium old Yan village in Eastern China- all while retaining a striking presence.