01 Overview
Sinye is located in the secret valley of Zengcheng, Guangzhou, in an isolated area with nearly 85acres of bamboo forests, terraced fields, and valleys. Passing through winding mountain roads and bamboo, finally the site is reached. The long prelude paths the starting point of master planning, which is to prioritise the local context, embarking on a journey of returning from city to the nature. The entire project consists of 21 residential buildings and 3 public areas, scattered across a 50,000sqm landscape. By connecting various functional groups through landscapes such as rice paddies, trails, bamboo forests, and mountain streams, each group has an independent system of experience while maintaining unity on landscape interface.
02 Symbiosis
There is an old building on the site that is difficult to trace, and the design team has decided to preserve the original building on the site and re-organise it. By extracting the traditional residential prototype and enclosing it into a courtyard style structure, the semi-open form allows the nature and time to infiltrate and transform this artificial space. Unlike the restoration strategies of most old buildings, it is chosen to weaken the sense of history, while emphasising the role of human and encouraging the possibility of the building growing with the nature. This space has now become a healing experience container for traditional Chinese culture, yoga, reading, and other healing activities.
03 Lightweight Structures
These 21 guestrooms integrated with the natural environment are not only places for accommodation, but also experiential spaces for harmonious coexistence with nature. Architecture and nature are not separated here. By establishing the relationships between settlements, systems, clusters, and individual units, and utilising the height differences inherent in forests, terraces, fields, and valleys in the terrain, the accommodation area is divided into three categories and four specific types: Paddy Residence, Bamboo Residence, and Stream Residence. Each group has its unique views, and they are connected by a variety of landscape platforms, which eventually forms the texture of the overall planning.
Design principle was established at the beginning of the project, which is to construct while respecting the site to the greatest extent possible. Therefore, the project adopts a lightweight structural system and a modular combination form, where the ground floor has been elevated to increase the interaction among the structure, people and the environment. All building components are prefabricated from the factory and assembled on-site to a limited extent. While meeting the construction efficiency, the design space provided by different terrain characteristics is also utilised effectively.
04 Industrial Ecology
Continues its concept of ‘Returning to The Natural State’, Sinye customises a series of physical and mental healing journeys for residents, relying on organic planting, natural breeding, and ecological resources. The operation mode of the entire project delivers the message of the interaction between humans and nature, and the hotel business is just one of its carriers. Nature has always been a flowing state in here from beginning to end: the bamboo forest is only one window away from Bamboo Residence; the waterfall descends from the mountain and flows into the valley after passing through Stream Residence; the visible organic rice fields have become a part of the spatial experience of Paddy Residence, etc. In this sense, architecture ultimately becomes an extension of the environment. Hospitality is the first project of Sinye project, and there will be comprehensive formats such as agricultural education, art festivals, team building activities, and natural education camps in the future. We hope to utilise platform resources to jointly develop the local agricultural sector with residents.
