A relaxation oasis. Sanya Wellness Retreat by Neri&Hu
25/10/2023.
[Hainan] China
metalocus, ANTONIO CORREDERA, JORGE MARTINEZ
metalocus, ANTONIO CORREDERA, JORGE MARTINEZ
Project description by Neri&Hu
The Sanya Wellness Retreat is located in Haitang Bay on Hainan Island, a popular resort destination in China. Neri & Hu’s design is inspired by the ancient Chinese walled city, elevated on a heavy plinth, it is usually surrounded by water for protection. As such the hotel is defined by two parts, the wooden dwelling comprising guest rooms perches atop a masonry base that contains all the public spaces below.
Two L-shaped building volumes come together to form a water courtyard, the central feature from which all the hotel’s public amenities spread and emanate outwards. The lobby becomes a garden landscape with a floating lantern hovering above that allows a gentle light to filter in, and with the soft breeze that flows through, guests are immediately transported to a relaxed state of mind for appreciating the slow pace of island life. At the same time, the ceilings here are lowered and suppressed in order to simultaneously frame views outward to the azure seas beyond.
Sanya Wellness Retreat by Neri & Hu. Photography by Chen Hao.
At every given opportunity, the design tries to embody the genius loci of Hainan, to blend elements from the island’s collective memory, culture, and natural features. Tapping into local craftsmanship, the masonry walls that envelop the lower levels are clad with handmade clay bricks, while the fabrics and rugs are inspired by the textile arts of the Li minority tribe. The technique of soaking and pressing bamboo is also employed as a building material, with woven rattan and yellow bronze accents to enhance the layers of the project.
For the guest rooms, each unit is conceived as an individual wooden hut that contains functional amenities such as the washrooms. In the negative space between the wooden boxes lies the sleeping and relaxing zones, including the ocean-view balconies. The alternating rhythm between solid and void, the angled walls, and textured material expression, all contribute to a dynamic façade that is constantly playing with light and shadow. The corridor between the bedroom units becomes an urban streetscape, an alley where people can traverse and enjoy chance encounters, as such are the delights of being a traveler.
Neri&Hu Design and Research Office, founded in 2004 by partners Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu, Neri&Hu Design and Research Office is an inter-disciplinary architectural design practice based in Shanghai, China. Neri&Hu works internationally providing architecture, interior, master planning, graphic, and product design services. Currently working on projects in many countries, Neri&Hu is composed of multi-cultural staff who speak over 30 different languages. The diversity of the team reinforces a core vision for the practice: to respond to a global worldview incorporating overlapping design disciplines for a new paradigm in architecture.
Lyndon Neri is a Founding Partner of Neri&Hu Design and Research Office, an inter-disciplinary international architectural design practice based in Shanghai, China. In 2014, Wallpaper* announced Neri&Hu as 2014 Designer of The Year. In 2013, Mr. Neri was inducted into the U.S. Interior Design Hall of Fame with his partner Ms. Rossana Hu. The practice was the 2011 INSIDE Festival Overall Winner, won AR Awards for Emerging Architecture 2010 by Architectural Review and was selected as one of the Design Vanguards in 2009 by Architectural Record. Mr. Neri received a Master of Architecture at Harvard University and a Bachelor of Architecture at the University of California at Berkeley. Prior to starting his own practice with partner Rossana Hu, he was the Director for Projects in Asia and an Associate for Michael Graves & Associates in Princeton for over 10 years, and also worked in New York City for various architectural firms.
Rossana Hu is a Founding Partner of Neri&Hu Design and Research Office, an inter-disciplinary international architectural design practice based in Shanghai, China. In 2014, Wallpaper* announced Neri&Hu as 2014 Designer of The Year. In 2013, Mr. Neri was inducted into the U.S. Interior Design Hall of Fame with his partner Ms. Rossana Hu. The practice was the 2011 INSIDE Festival Overall Winner, won AR Awards for Emerging Architecture 2010 by Architectural Review and was selected as one of the Design Vanguards in 2009 by Architectural Record. Ms. Hu received a Master of Architecture and Urban Planning from Princeton University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture and Music from the University of California at Berkeley. Before establishing Neri&Hu with her partner Lyndon Neri, Ms. Hu worked for Michael Graves & Associates, Ralph Lerner Architect in Princeton, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill in New York City, and The Architects Collaborative (TAC) in San Francisco.