▲ Upper House and Swimming Pool
Project Background
In 2015, IDO Yuanxiang Architecture and Chongqing Hexin Architectural Design Institute completed their first hotel design in Dali, named “Munwood Lakeside.” The architect acted both as client and designer, overseeing the project from initial planning and site selection through design, construction management, and hotel operation. That same year, they began designing a second slow house on the east bank of Erhai Lake, titled “Munwood Panorama.” Feedback gathered from the first slow house was instrumental in shaping the design of this second project, serving as a valuable real-world evaluation.
Site Selection and Design Intent
Recognizing that guests at “Slow House · Lanqing” enjoyed waking up to the sunrise over Erhai Lake, the new project aimed to offer a contrasting experience centered around the sunset. The site for “Slow House · Jimu” was chosen in Wenbi Village, Haidong Town, nestled between mountain and water, with views of Cangshan Mountain, the ancient city, and the iconic Three Pagodas across the lake. This location offers arguably the best panoramic views around the entire Erhai Lake ring road. The project’s name, “Jimu,” reflects the site’s excellent visibility and suitability for distant viewing. Its English name, “Panorama,” more accurately conveys the expansive views of Cang’er Lake.
▲ Location Map
▲ Cangshan and Erhai Lake
Wenbi Village is characterized by a typical sloping settlement pattern. The slow house was ultimately designed as a courtyard comprising two residences at different elevations: one at the mountain foot and another halfway up the slope. Spanning approximately two and a half acres, the site features a vertical height difference equivalent to nearly four floors. To keep renovation costs low, the architects adopted a “light intervention” approach, implementing moderate adjustments that harmoniously integrate the new structures into the existing village environment.
▲ Architecture integrated with village landscape
Moderate Renovation and Spatial Reorganization
The design began by reorganizing the functional spaces of the upper and lower houses.
Lower House Renovation: A third floor was added atop the existing two-story brick and concrete structure to create guest rooms. Additionally, a new L-shaped, single-story steel structure was built, connecting with the original farmhouse to form a courtyard. This space also accommodates a restaurant and reception facilities, including BIM training areas.
Upper House Renovation: The existing two-and-a-half-story brick and concrete farmhouse was extended with a third floor designed in the original style. Three setback guest rooms featuring large terraces were added on one side, changing the building’s form from a straight line to an L-shape. This created a semi-enclosed space centered around an infinity pool. On the north side, a new independent guest room area called the “Small Steel House” was constructed using a steel structure system. The choice of steel for all new construction clearly distinguishes between old and new, emphasizing different construction methods and enhancing typological clarity.
▲ Renovation strategy schematic
▲ Axonometric diagram
Public Spaces: Engaging with Mountains and Water
The public spaces extend continuously across different elevations, offering guests a dynamic “walking path” with changing views. This design establishes a multidimensional spatiotemporal relationship between people and the surrounding scenery.
The lower house rooftop features a public rest platform, an infinity pool, and leisure seating areas. Guests arriving via elevator from the reception hall first encounter breathtaking views of Erhai Lake and Cangshan Mountain from this platform, beginning their dialogue with nature.
A steel bridge links the lower house rooftop to the upper house, crossing a cliff. Ascending the stairs leads guests to the upper house infinity pool, offering panoramic views of the lake and mountains. Seasonal changes in sunlight and wind create diverse experiences throughout the day, deepening guests’ connection with the “Cang’er Panorama.”
▲ Architectural exterior
▲ Lower House Restaurant
▲ Lower House Restaurant and Inner Courtyard
▲ Lower House Roof Garden
▲ Landscape view from the Lower House Roof Platform
▲ Halls and staircases inside the Lower House
▲ Upper House and Swimming Pool
▲ Upper House Swimming Pool and Surrounding Landscape
▲ Structural framework view of the upper courtyard swimming pool room
Guest Rooms: Diversity and Unique Experiences
Slow House · Jimu offers 23 guest rooms across 11 different types. Each room’s interior design carefully considers its relationship with the landscape.
For example, the 601 series room breaks conventions by balancing bathroom and bedroom space equally at a 1:1 ratio. The bathroom features a bathtub area integrated with an entrance garden, blurring the boundary between indoors and outdoors to create an immersive bathing experience. From the tatami sleeping area, guests are treated to a perfectly framed view of Erhai Lake.
▲ Room 706
▲ Room 601 or 701
▲ Room 601 or 701 with window framing the view
The 606 series features a bathroom placed along one side of the bedroom, with the bathtub positioned near an exterior window. Outside, an endless mirrored water pool aligns precisely with Erhai Lake, creating an intimate visual connection between the bathers and the lake. Near the infinity pool on the fifth floor, transitional spaces with wooden lattice screens ensure guest privacy while framing views of the pool, lake, and Cangshan Mountain like a living painting.
▲ Room 706 Bathtub with Erhai Lake View
Designing the Small Steel House: Experience and Construction
1. Site Constraints and Spatial Logic
The “Small Steel House” sits at the northernmost edge of the Upper Court site on a narrow, trapezoidal plot approximately 21 meters long, ranging from 6 meters wide on the south to less than 3 meters on the north. The gently sloping terrain descends about 2.5 meters from north to south. To the west, the site overlooks a cliff with unobstructed views of the “Cang’er Panorama.” The east side borders a fortress and a village path elevated about 2 meters above the site. Originally, this path served as the main entrance for farmers accessing the upper house. After merging the upper and lower houses, this passage was no longer needed.
The goal was to create an independent guest area on this small plot, including public spaces and two guest rooms. This project became an architectural experiment in efficiently crafting comfortable, experiential vacation spaces on limited land.
▲ Perspective view of Small Steel House roof section
▲ Exterior of Small Steel House
To address the irregular plot shape, the architect oriented the two guest room walls diagonally, creating a figure-eight layout that maximizes lake views. The three remaining inverted trapezoidal spaces between were allocated for bathrooms, kitchens, and public staircases. This spatial segmentation, combined with the sloping terrain, reflects Louis I. Kahn’s concept of “servant and served spaces”: service areas like kitchens and bathrooms support the guest rooms and living spaces.
▲ Guest room interior in Small Steel House
▲ Small Steel House rooms and bathrooms
▲ Small Steel House public living room
▲ Small Steel House public staircase
▲ Light and shadow play in the Small Steel House staircase
2. Structural System and Spatial Experience
With the spatial layout fixed, the architect integrated structural and spatial orders. The three service spaces serve as structural support tubes. For cost efficiency and ease of construction, the main structure uses a steel grid formed by small rectangular steel tubes. The gaps between the grid allow natural light to penetrate, making the structure resemble a “light screen” rather than a solid tube.
As guests move through this steel structure, they experience an interaction with nature. In the evening, sunlight filtering through the steel grid casts dynamic shadows on the stone walls, enhancing the sensory experience. This use of light and shadow as architectural elements highlights the “Small Steel House” as an exploration in harmonizing built form with natural surroundings.
▲ Sample of Small Steel House wall
▲ Light and shadow in the Small Steel House staircase
Since the east side borders a fortress and elevated village road, the architect first poured a reinforced concrete wall, then clad its interior side with Haidong stone, creating a vacation-themed backdrop wall. All switches, sockets, fireplaces, air conditioning units, and cabinets are recessed into niches within the stone wall, maintaining its seamless appearance.
The rough stone surfaces, warm wood finishes, and delicate steel elements combine to create a unique spatial atmosphere under sunlight. The “Small Steel House” design clearly expresses the rational integration of structure and space, with a straightforward on-site construction concept and material logic.
▲ Axonometric breakdown of Small Steel House
▲ Materials used
▲ General layout
▲ Combination plan – Upper House
▲ Combination plan – Lower House (BIM Design)
Project Details:
Project Name: Dali Slow House · Jimu Resort Hotel
Owner: Chongqing Slow House Hotel Management Co., Ltd.
Location: Wenbi Village, Haidong Town, Dali City
Building Area: 1,110 m² before renovation; 1,785 m² after renovation
Design Period: March 2015 – June 2016
Completion: April 2017
Opening: October 2018
Architects: IDO Yuanxiang Architecture, Chongqing Hexin Architectural Design Institute Co., Ltd.
Interior Design: CAS Qianmai Design
Photography: Existence of Architecture – Architectural Photography, Liang Xiaolong
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