▲ Night view of the new building in Xiyuan
▲ View overlooking the village from the base
MYMORY Hotel is nestled at the foot of Yuantianmu Mountain, part of the scenic Taihu Lake area in Lin’an, Hangzhou. The picturesque site offers distant views of villages, framing a delicate ink-painting-like landscape of “people cooking at the foot of the mountain.” An old house built in the 1970s stands on the site, with much of its rammed earth walls and wooden frames remarkably preserved. This historic mansion is treated as a living memory and an emotional anchor for a generation, forming the core of the hotel’s overall design and planning.
▲ Site plan
Right HUB led the comprehensive planning, preserving the old house and replacing a demolished new building on the original site. The entire property is organized into four courtyards: east, west, south, and north.
▲ Elevation view
The old house’s original walls and wooden structures were carefully repaired and structurally reinforced. Floor slabs were rebuilt with steel structures combined with ceramic aggregate concrete. To honor the renovation concept, recycled old bricks were applied as a protective layer on the original rammed earth walls, while the wooden framework remains elegantly exposed indoors. The guest experience highlights the beauty of the building’s history and structural details.
▲ Main Entrance (East Campus)
▲ Lobby Entrance
▲ Front Desk
▲ Front Desk Background Wall Details
▲ Tea room on the first floor with guest rooms above
▲ Staircase leading to second-floor guest rooms
▲ View of front desk from the second-floor corridor
▲ Guest room lounge area
▲ Visual connection between skylight and sleeping area
The old house, once a single-family residence, has been transformed into a multi-functional hotel space featuring a lobby, front desk, lounge, tea room, Western and Chinese kitchens, restaurant, guest rooms, and other amenities. The second floor houses two guest rooms, each equipped with a large skylight positioned above the living room, bedroom, and bathroom, significantly enhancing natural light within the interior.
▲ Floating restaurant on the water
▲ Restaurant overlooking green mountains and forest
▲ Water scene (East Courtyard)
A new YING restaurant has been constructed on the east side of the old house, featuring a steel structure paired with glass curtain walls that float above the water. Japanese cherry blossoms adorn the courtyard, offering guests a unique dining experience during springtime blooms.
▲ Glass corridor over the water
▲ Corridor connecting old and new buildings
▲ Sculptural staircase design
▲ Reading area
Guests enter the new building via a glass corridor that bridges a 1.5-meter height difference between the old and new structures. Surrounded by water on both sides, it creates a sensation of floating above the water. The new building’s first floor includes two leisure areas: the south lounge offers panoramic outdoor views through a glass curtain wall, while the northwest lounge features a real fireplace, providing warmth and coziness during winter, perfect for enjoying a cup of coffee.
▲ Guest room entrance
▲ Guest room with glass bathroom
▲ View of balcony from guest room tea area
The new building’s second and third floors accommodate five guest rooms, each featuring a private viewing balcony. Floor-to-ceiling French windows fill the rooms with natural light and connect the interior with the surrounding landscape. The bathrooms adopt a “crystal box” design concept with transparent glass walls, offering guests a unique experience. Privacy is ensured with dark track curtains surrounding the glass enclosure.
▲ Exterior of the new building
The new building’s exterior features a block-like design with a cement texture. In the future, wooden louvers will be installed as a “skin,” allowing filtered light to create a dynamic play of shadows inside as the light shifts throughout the day.
▲ West Campus
▲ Pool view (West Campus)
▲ Sunken plaza (West Courtyard)
▲ Relationship between sunken plaza and swimming pool
The West Courtyard features an infinity pool adjacent to a sunken plaza designed to seat 6-8 people comfortably. A 90-centimeter platform between the pool and plaza functions as a “bar counter,” allowing guests to enjoy drinks and socialize while swimming.
The south-facing sides of the east, south, and west courtyards are enclosed with glass guardrails, visually softening the boundary between building and landscape. This design allows guests to enjoy unobstructed views of the distant villages from the courtyards.
▲ Views of indoor and outdoor landscapes framed by windows and doors
Project Drawings
▲ First floor plan
▲ Second floor plan
▲ Third floor plan
▲ Roof plan
▲ Section A-A view
▲ Structural details of the old building
Project Information
Project Type: Hotel, Interior Design
Location: Hangzhou, China
Architectural Design: He Design Studio
Area: 800 m²
Year: 2020
Lead Architects: Gong Jian, Liu Meng
Design Team: Zhang Jie (Architectural Design), Ling Huihong (Interior Design), Wu Karen (Interior Design), Song Yongjian (Soft Decoration Design), Xu Zhen (Graphic Design)
Landscape Design: He Design Studio
Structural Design: Zhang Haihang / Zhejiang Guangxia Architectural Design and Research Co., Ltd.
Partner: Jizhi Lighting
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