Interview about Longhu Hotel Design, winner of the A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award 2024
Hotels need to be local, open, and inclusive. The designer was inspired by the dragon and phoenix, a traditional Chinese mythological animal. The walls are made of curved beige marble and copper panels, the shape symbolizing the flying posture of the dragon. The crystal chandelier on the ceiling is an abstract representation of the shape of a phoenix. The whole space presents a sense of organic flow. This also reflects the respect and inheritance of culture.
View detailed images, specifications, and award details on A' Design Award & Competition website.
View Design DetailsThe shape of the building comes from a 3,200-year-old dragon jade carving, which simulates the scene of the jade dragon lying on the lake in an abstract shape, modern without losing its cultural connotation. The interior design continues the architectural technique, introduces the concept of dragon and phoenix into the interior, and expresses the scene intention of dragon and phoenix dance by abstract means, which is not only the invisible implantation of culture, but also the refining and inheritance of traditional culture. When hotel guests enter the lobby, they feel like entering a huge dream space. The walls are curved marble stone walls and copper panels up to 26.8 meters high, and giant crystal lights on the ceiling look like a flying phoenix hovering in the sky. The whole space is a visually stunning art museum. Full of modern and artistic atmosphere. At the same time rich in cultural and regional characteristics.
Generally speaking, marble processing into curved because of large losses and expensive, we have the responsibility to find solutions for the owners, fortunately, there is a supplier said that they have ultra-thin stone production technology, stone can bend like wood, which just completely solved our two problems: cost and technology. Because the stone is thin, it can be glued to the base of the board like the wood decoration panel. This material is almost tailor-made for our project. This is a typical case of materials creating new aesthetic effects. A forward-looking approach to the use of materials is demonstrated.
We are always working on how to balance the expression of traditional cultural heritage with the functional needs of a modern hotel. If the elements of the dragon and phoenix are simply borrowed from the specific form, they will walk into the trap of stereotypes. This time our focus shifted from figurative to abstract, from the dragon's flying posture to find our source of inspiration: the specific form of the dragon did not appear, but the dragon's figure is everywhere, which is the effect we want.
Phoenix is often seen in ancient Chinese mythology along with light and fire. The scenes it appears in are always very gorgeous. But few artists think about this when they extract elements of the phoenix. We felt that the image of the phoenix and the lighting installation were naturally intrinsically connected, and we wanted the shadow of a shining, crystal-clear bird to appear in the sky, just as we did with the dragon: it did not appear, it was everywhere.
International conference participants and international guests are often unfamiliar with local cultural traditions, if the direct transfer of these ancient artistic images into the space, often make guests feel abrupt and confused, which is in conflict with the hotel's welcome concept for guests, so our principle is imperceptible implantation of traditional culture, rather than blunt display.
Most of the hotels are too sophisticated and commercial, and the hotels with artistic style and cultural heritage are always valuable and impressive, so it is not a difficult choice.
This is the most difficult part of the whole design, we have been repeatedly suffering from collapse and hope. So many times we wanted to quit, but we stuck with it. Maybe we love the future of this project too much.
The atrium of the hotel is a huge stone wall up to 26 meters high, if there is no one or several particularly shiny lighting devices or lighting effects in such a large space, the whole space will become dim and lifeless. In short, just like a cave, if you want it to be warm, you need a torch or a bonfire, and these glowing columns are the torches or bonfires in a cave. They make the space warm and inviting.
This is a very good question, but the good thing is that there is so much room for the dragon and phoenix elements to play, and there are so many stories about them in history and cultural traditions. So, it's not as hard as it looks. We have a constant stream of material.
As the reviewer said, we hope it will be an example of a work that challenges traditional hotel design norms and pays homage to a rich cultural heritage. Hotel space is not only a simple accommodation, allowing guests to immerse in a comfortable and pleasant atmosphere while feeling the charm of culture and historical memory, should become one of the future development models of high-quality hotels in China and even the world. Connecting time, the world and art with design is the true value of design.
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