From 2013 to 2017, the old state‑owned sugar refinery in Yangshuo was restored by architect Zhao Chongxin, while Dong Gong completed the guestroom construction and overall layout, establishing the basic spatial framework of the hotel. The “Sugar House+” initiative launched in 2022 uses newly built small structures as nodes to connect underutilised scattered spaces, unlocking the site’s latent potential. The project includes the Waterside Pavilion, the Hillside Pavilion, a DJ booth, and the subsequently completed Qushui Restaurant.
The Waterside Pavilion reclines beside the water on the north side of the courtyard with an extreme horizontal extension, defining the historic entrance to the sugar refinery and visually supporting the mountain behind it. Its structure features a large cantilever only 6 cm thick, balancing visual lightness with structural rationality to achieve a delicate and agile appearance. Viewed along the refinery’s central axis, the pavilion’s horizontal spread engages in a spatial dialogue with the rising mountains in the background.
The Hillside Pavilion sits at the southern foot of the hill, below the climbing crag, and together with Qushui Restaurant, the Rumu Fire Pit, and the pump house forms a linear node along the hillside. It is placed on a platform surrounded by trees, with a *Cinnamomum japonicum* tree on its right rear side. The design follows the tree’s posture, embracing the site with a curving form, using the shade as natural shelter, while an unobstructed rest area offers sweeping views toward the cliff. A semi‑circular window on the side facing the main building directs the view toward the Karst Garden and the main building; the semi‑circle echoes the bamboo‑framed karst cave, creating a dialogue with the main structure. The Hillside Pavilion anchors the topographic continuity between the lawn and the climbing area in a point‑like manner.
The DJ booth occupies the core interior space of the 1969 Bar, which was converted from the pressing workshop. The site retains three original elevation levels, but a glass platform covers the broken areas, the juice‑extraction pit has been levelled, and much of the industrial texture has been lost. Like the pavilions, the DJ booth is cast in monolithic concrete and suspended above the pressing‑equipment foundations, with its dimensions responding to the width of the pressing channel. By leveraging the indoor level changes, the booth is designed as a composite of multiple floor heights to accommodate different functional uses. While occupying the former machinery space, it maintains a delicate relationship between the new furniture and the industrial remnants; its sculptural form appears to grow out of the ruins, feeling both historical and contemporary.
Through the light intervention of these structures, “Sugar House+” has uncovered the site’s spatial potential, consolidated the hotel’s operational scenarios, and intensified the spatial tension between the landscape and the industrial heritage, achieving a spatial completion and character enhancement upon the existing built fabric.
Team:
Design Firm: Atelier Guo
Lead Architects: Liaohui Guo
Design Team: Atelier Guo
Clients: Yangshuo Sugar House
Principle architect: Liaohui Guo
Project architects: Ziqian Wang
Project Team: Yuhui Xue
Site Architects: Yuhui Xue
Structural Design: Qi Zhang
Construction: Suzao Architects
Photo credits: Ziqian Wang
