protoscapes reworks decommissioned pier into public-facing resort on chinese island

a hotel in China shaped by tides, light, and coastal topography

Perched on the southwestern edge of Dongshan Island in China, the Dongshan West Bay Resort by Protoscapes transforms a decommissioned fishing pier into a public-facing coastal landscape. Located on the former site of Qianlou Town’s historic fishery center, the project marks the first diving-themed resort on the island. 

The architectural language is shaped by the surrounding geography. Undulating balcony lines echo tidal rhythms, while curvilinear triangular openings along the hotel corridors draw northeastern light inward and orient views toward distant mountain ranges. On the northeastern edge, a 24-meter diving tower rises as a landmark, wrapped in perforated aluminum panels whose rippling surface softens the mass of the concrete structure beneath. Elongated oculus windows, referencing submarine portholes, punctuate the facade and frame expansive views across the sea.

an Interface between land and sea | all images by Arch-Exist Photography, unless stated otherwise

Protoscapes organizes the resort around sheltered courtyard

Dongshan Island has long operated as a crossroads of maritime culture in southern Fujian, and the project draws directly from this context. Built on a compact pier footprint, the architects at Protoscapes organize two L-shaped volumes around a sheltered courtyard, creating a protected communal heart that mitigates the hot summer sun and strong winter winds from the east. Thirty-one hotel suites and food-and-beverage spaces line the southwestern edge, providing uninterrupted sea and sunset views. A nautical-themed commercial arcade faces northeast, stitching the development back into the street life and economic rhythms of the village.

Multi-tiered, open-air viewing platforms step down toward the water, and a continuous boardwalk traces the perimeter of the site, elements that extend the former role of the pier as a working landscape into a civic one. The ground-level arcade, carved as a continuous sheltered passage, recalls sea-eroded coastal caves and operates as a sequence of framed ocean views.

a hotel amongst the fishing village

a shared sunset view between the room guests and the public

hotel entrance plaza

the diving tower’s porthole windows

a public threshold towards the coastline

viewing deck open to the public

ocean view from the hotel suite

seafront hotel restaurant | image by Lin Yongchen

hotel reception | image by Lin Yongchen

coastal public boardwalk

aerial view of the hotel

project info:

name: Dongshan West Bay Resort

architect: Protoscapes | @protoscapes_architects

location: Dongshan Island, China
design team: Huang Jinhui, Chan Pakkin, Qiu Bin, Hu Bin, Cai Zhijie, Chen Tianying, Lin Zhaoli, Liu Wanting

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: thomai tsimpou | designboom