The hotel will be located in the centre of Chengdu, within the Chengdu Daci Temple Cultural and Commercial Complex, a project jointly developed by Sino-Ocean Land and Swire Properties.
The complete project includes boutique hotel services, extensive public spaces and a striking landscape design which will form a new focal point within the Chengdu cityscape. The 100-room hotel and its 42 adjoining serviced apartments form an integral part of the city government’s conservation project to preserve the surrounding heritage buildings next to the 1000-year-old Daci Temple.
The design has incorporated a sensitive response to the local context due to the close proximity of the site to several historic buildings. Specific features and materials were introduced that complement these important structures and reference the unique architectural styles and traditions of the Sichuan region. These themes are subtly incorporated throughout all elements of the scheme, from the exterior through to the landscape and the interiors.
Offering a contemporary interpretation of traditional Chinese design, the hotel embraces a typical courtyard house configuration. The development comprises two L-shaped towers, featuring approximately 140 guestrooms. The buildings also have different heights and functions. The taller of the two towers contains the hotel, while the smaller building houses serviced apartments. A historic building located on the site will be retained and integrated into the design to form a unique entrance lobby.
A sequence of courtyards is created in the protected space between the two blocks, with a lush undulating landscape reminiscent of the terraced paddy fields of Sichuan’s steep hillsides linking them at ground and lower ground level. Sunken courtyards and landscaped hills with lightwells allow plenty of natural light to penetrate the lower level, which contains shared public facilities.
The three-dimensional woven façade combines modern design with the traditional Chengdu architectural elements of timber, brick and step stones. Elegant bamboo trees adorn the hotel’s entrance, which is set in a beautifully restored 100-year-old Chinese courtyard building first built in the Qing Dynasty.
