Keqiao Boutique Hotel
Keqiao Boutique Hotel
© Courtesy of SpActrum
Written by Wenjie (Demi) Zhao
Nestled in the incandescent cradle of Keqiao's lush landscape, SpActrum introduces an architectural masterstroke: the Keqiao Boutique Hotel, a hymn to the area's historical continuity and flourishing future. Perched on the liminal space between the bustling urbanity of modern constructions and the serene echo of the old town, the project seeks to cultivate a harmonious dialogue between the two, sculpting a landscape that doesn't merely mimic, but amplifies the existing milieu's grace.
Keqiao Boutique Hotel
© Courtesy of SpActrum
Keqiao Boutique Hotel
© Courtesy of SpActrum
The hotel comes alive at the crossroads of tradition and innovation, breathing life into the characteristic waterways of Keqiao, shaping a fabric of existence where the historical core of the old village and the urban hum converge. The hotel's roofs, draped in gray-blue tiles, flirt with the skyline, mirroring the rolling hills and creating a poetic metaphor of landscapes woven together. This roofscape, ingeniously designed to slice through each other, births a habitable terrain.
The interplay between the fluidity of the waterways and the solidity of the roofs engenders a dance of elements that exude a calm grandeur. The spaces not occupied by the roofs are embraced by water - ponds, creeks, and canals - forming an aquatic necklace that links the hotel to the rhythm of the Yangzi triangle water town. It is here, above these waterscapes, that the hotel's buildings exist, akin to bridges on ocean liners, uniting the disparate water bodies, and offering breathtaking vistas of historical Keqiao.
Keqiao Boutique Hotel
© Courtesy of SpActrum
Keqiao Boutique Hotel
© Courtesy of SpActrum
Keqiao Boutique Hotel
© Courtesy of SpActrum
SpActrum's approach to the hotel's design marries the sophistication of modern architectural principles with the time-honoured beauty of Keqiao. The inception of the design blooms from the composition of a myriad of curves, outlining the enigmatic intersection of roof and hill. The public spaces of the hotel are then carefully nestled beneath these curves, enveloped by the undulating roofline, manifesting an organically formed architectural tapestry.
Like an artist molding clay, the curves are thoughtfully scaled and extruded, yielding intersections that resemble the old water town's canal system. The intersections yield varying water widths, creating a surreal reflection of Keqiao's historical core. The ingenious manipulation of light and shadow through the roof landscape illuminates the subterranean guest entrance hall, fostering a sense of connectivity between the indoor and outdoor.
Keqiao Boutique Hotel
© Courtesy of SpActrum
Keqiao Boutique Hotel
© Courtesy of SpActrum
Keqiao Boutique Hotel
© Courtesy of SpActrum
The public spaces – restaurants, bars, tea house, library, and spa – are tethered together by the intricate network of water bodies, orchestrating a graceful symphony of light, water, and space. The roof, peppered with openings determined by meticulous spatial analysis, serves as a conduit for nature's light, circulation, and ambiance.
The guest rooms, like cantilevered poems in concrete, are elevated above the public spaces, serving as bridges between the hills. Their orientations are precisely determined to optimise the enchanting views of the historical town. Connected by bridges into a circular arrangement on the roof, they form a halo above the hotel, bridging the gap between traditional architecture and modern design in an eloquent dance of form and function.
Keqiao Boutique Hotel
© Courtesy of SpActrum
Keqiao Boutique Hotel represents a harmonious synthesis of past and present, a testament to Keqiao's enduring legacy and promising future. The hotel stands as a beacon of architectural innovation, marrying aesthetics with functionality, and crafting a narrative that mirrors the ebbs and flows of Keqiao's unique cultural fabric. This is architecture as poetry, where every line, curve, and edge speaks a language of harmony, beauty, and tradition.
