Yuanshe · Hezhou

Yuanshe · Hezhou is a Bed and Breakfast (B&B) constructed within the Huashengbang Ideal Village, a rural revitalisation project located in Dongbangtou Village of Heshan Town in Zhejiang, China. The project aims to create an influential pastoral building complex by integrating with surrounding water systems, farmlands and other natural elements as well as improving the infrastructure and surrounding environment.

The operator of the B&B put forward several ideas during the early stage of design. They wanted it to be built in villa style with low density yet maximum use of space. As such, the design has taken the spatial scale, density, cosiness and functions into account to create a villa-style living space which is different from conventional housing units. Each independent building has two storeys with a single floor area of 80 to 100 square metres. Both indoor and outdoor areas can be utilised by blurring the boundaries between them and bringing nature in.

The north and east sides of the site are surrounded by a river with a pond located in the south. By connecting them together, a peninsula-like topography enclosed by water on three sides is formed. The buildings are constructed at a certain distance from the trees and rivers on the site in order to preserve the existing natural vegetation and environment. A public swimming pool and two water platforms are set in different zones of the development to blend into the waterfront context.

A walkable circulation route linking up various spaces creates different experiences for B&B guests who take a walk around the accommodation. Wandering along the zigzag bridge-like corridors and size-reduced passages recall traditional Jiangnan gardens and streets.

The landscaping was a challenge given the limited area and high maintenance costs. Instead of setting up gardens and deliberate planting, the landscaping of the B&B opted for leaving blank spaces, simple design techniques and wild planting to reduce cost and return to purity. The pavement areas and walking paths are also included in the landscape creation scope which enhances the sense of integration between indoor and outdoor areas as well as the B&B and the surrounding environment.

PROJECT DATA
Project
Yuanshe · Hezhou
Location
Dongbangtou Village, Heshan Town, Tongxiang City, Zhejiang, China
Completion Date
August 2021
Site Area
1,901.68 square metres
Client
Xband Club
Developer
Dongbangtou Joint-stock Economic Cooperative
Architecture Firm
y.ad studio
Landscape Architect
y.ad studio
Interior Design Firm
y.ad studio
Structural Design
Huo Zhenzhong
Collaborator
Shanghai Times Architecture Design Co Ltd
Construction Firm
Shanghai Jingyu Landscape Construction & Development Co Ltd
Project Team
Yan Yang, Wu Kejia, Yan Yu, Hu Hongmei
Images
Peter Dixie, Lotan Architectural Photography;
Yan Yang