Near the ancient city of Xi’an, Taibai Wushanju is a complex consisting of resort hotels, open spaces for leisure and cultural exhibitions. A project by IAPA Design Consultants, the complex spans over a historic river, evoking planning concepts of the Lifang system from the Tang and Song dynasties. Each building was inspired by these ideas, then re-interpreted and refined during the design process.
With a site just under 10,000 square meters, the total building measures 14,500 square meters and includes a boutique hotel, living hall and art exhibition hall. According to the architects, the architectural intent was to create a design that integrates aesthetics, poetry, humanities, and life philosophy.
The ’Wu’ in ‘Wushanju’ represents the concise, natural, simple and minimalist aspects of oriental art, which is also a natural aspect of Taibai Mountain. The design includes a Taibai Court, where one can ascend to the rooftop, look out over the mountains, meditate or enjoy the serenity of nature.
A circular white wall and pond evoke a scene that resembles a modern ink landscape painting on an exaggerated scale, bringing a sense of Zen, serenity, and connection to nature.
The design adheres to the traditional urban layout of ‘li, square, alley city’ combined with a vertical stacking technique. The stacking technique integrates 57 boutique hotel rooms, book bars, tea rooms, art centre and infinity swimming pools into sections of the courtyard.
