AZL architects’ hotel made from white stone nestles into the hills of tangshan in china

AZL architects has completed a massive hotel project in china with an equally impressive location. the new building is situated amid the hills of tangshan, which is also where a male and female skull of ‘nanjing man’ (a subspecies of homo erectus) dating back to around 600,000 years were discovered in 1993. this latest intervention, called the ‘ruralation museum hotel’, occupies an abandoned quarry site and forms part of nanjing homo erectus relic museum. the architectural design draws from both the incredible history of the place and tangshan’s tradition of stone quarrying.

the project is located in tangshan homo erectus relic park, image © dong suhong

the new hotel measures a huge 59,202 ft2 (5,500 m2). guests can choose from five types of luxurious accommodation: the courtyard room, the townhouse, the family villa, the mountain view courtyard villa, and the VIP customized villa. the supporting facilities include chinese and western dining halls, conference and multi-functional spaces, a design library, an exhibition hall, a fitness room, a meditation space, a landscape activity area, and an outdoor swimming pool.

light and spatial experience, image © yao li

AZL architects has planned the hotel around three ‘control axes’ that guide both the movement and sightline of guests with the overall intention of making the architecture disappear into the surrounding nature. on the north-south axis, an almost ceremonial path leads to a huge rotunda on the north side, which holds the design library and the lava lab lifestyle shop. the rotunda serves as the core of the entire architecture, and also as the meeting point between the north-south and east-west axis. the third axis is the central axis, which turns west and extends to a cantilevered platform, and an incredible mountain view.

the experience scene, image © wen studio

stone is an important characteristic of the tangshan area and its high-quality white cement used to be well known until the plants were closed due to urban expansion and ecological protection. AZL architects relates the hotel to this legacy by building the hotel using waste stones from the quarry site. white concrete cylinders, white stone walls, and white cement paving connect the past with the present. the use of white cement also extends into the interior surfaces and furniture pieces, resulting in a pure, simple and serene atmosphere from inside out. 

stone façades and white concrete floor, image © yao li

the elevated platform, image © qiu wenjian

the disappearance of architecture in nature, image © dong suhong

the elevated platform, image © xiao xiong

main entrance plaza, image © yao li

the waterfall ramp, image © lei rongshi

the waterfall ramp, image © zhang xiaojun

hotel night view, image © yao li

villa pool, image © wen studio

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project info:

project name: ruralation museum hotel, tangshan

location: tangshan, nanjing, china

function: hotel

floor area: 59,201.51 ft2 (5,500 m2)

design/completion: 2017/october 2020

architecture office: AZL architects

cooperative organization: institute of architecture design and planing co.,ltd.of nanjing university

lead architects: zhang lei, qi wei

architectural design: jin haibo, wang liang

interior design: ma haiyi, du yue, liu ping, zhu wenjian, huang rong

landscape design: zhao min, jiang zhiyuan, chen junjun

photography: dong suhong, yao li, wen studio, qiu wenjian, xiao xiong, lei rongshi, zhang xiaojun