Linzhou Guojiazhuang Homestay Hotel / Atelier Shen

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Text description provided by the architects.The project is located in Taihang Grand Canyon in Shibanyan Town, Linzhou City. This area is renowned for its majestic peaks and breathtaking scenery, often hailed as the "Soul of the Eight-Hundred-Mile Taihang Mountains," representing the quintessential beauty of northern Chinese landscapes. The village where the project is situated is surrounded by multiple scenic spots, attracting a steady stream of visitors from April to October each year. Two years ago, commissioned by the property owner, we undertook the task of demolishing and rebuilding an old house in the village to create a high-quality, distinctive homestay.To comply with local government requirements, the exterior walls and partial roofing utilize locally sourced slate. However, the designers diverged from conventional practices by cutting the slate into narrow strips and layering them in a manner reminiscent of traditional slate roofing. This innovative approach creates a distinctive textured pattern on the façade, enriching its tactile quality while forming a striking contrast with the white exterior.The immediate view is one of disorder. Yet the distant mountains feel intimately close. Thus, from the very beginning of our design process, we recognized that we couldn't rely on the external environment for inspiration. Instead, we turned inward - to the courtyard - and outward - to the mountain views - as our guiding principles.The surroundings of the project site are less than ideal. While nestled among majestic mountains, the village itself is visually unremarkable and disorganized. To the north of the site stands the town's only school, with its teaching building and main entrance; to the east lies the school playground; a short distance to the west, there's a four-story residential building providing dining and lodging for student art excursions; and to the south, just across the road, sits another neighboring property.The interior primarily features artisanal plaster-like paint, complemented by wooden furniture, window and door systems, and green marble, creating a fresh and natural ambiance that enhances the overall sense of relaxation and tranquility. The building not only fulfills functional needs but also merges aesthetic form with spatial harmony, offering users a uniquely immersive experience.The project is designed as an enclosed courtyard layout based on the site conditions, creating an inner courtyard shielded from the surrounding environment. The eastern section, adjacent to the road, serves as the public functional area, while the western side, centered around the inner courtyard, houses the guest rooms and inward-facing activity spaces.Open leisure areas and viewing platforms are strategically placed on the third floor and rooftop, offering diverse spatial experiences framed by the varying angles of the sloping roofs. The main building, composed of stacked volumes, features a bidirectional pitched roof that echoes the distant mountain ranges, resulting in a richly layered façade.