Floating Hotel

In Anji, a rural region three hours from Shanghai, MORE Architecture designed a boutique hotel which seems to float above the hills. Situated in the middle of mountainous bamboo forests, the building establishes an immersive relationship with nature.

Over the past 40 years, China has changed from a rural to an urban society. After decades of industrialization and urbanization, a growing middle class is now fleeing the megacities on weekends, attracted by rural life and a desire to return to nature.

The ‘floating hotel’ responds to this demand. It is the first building in Dachangping, a mountainous area in the south of Anji, in the green heart of the highly urbanized Yangtze River Delta.

Under a folded zinc roof, four transparent collective spaces – the lobby, yoga room, restaurant and event space – overlook the dramatic valley. The roof creates a gradual transition between nature and architecture. Guests move through the open air, from one glass room to another, with terraces and French doors blurring the boundary between inside and outside.

The eighteen hotel rooms are located under the main amenities and are accessed via outdoor staircases. Instead of conventional hotel corridors, an outdoor route winds past three different room types: narrow single loaded rooms with views on both sides, wide double loaded rooms with expansive views, and corner suites overlooking the landscape in two directions.

A steel structure lifts the building eight meters above the hills, creating a dramatic space beneath it for the swimming pool and changing rooms. Nature runs uninterrupted beneath the hotel. Inside, wood, terrazzo and custom-designed furniture create a warm atmosphere, while the zinc roof will accentuate the folded form as it ages.