The three-year pandemic has reshaped many people’s perspectives on life, making resort hotels a welcomed escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday living. Located on a vast plain at the border of Changzhou and Jiangyin in Jiangsu Province, Shunshan Wanyi Resort Hotel is nestled beside Shunshan Mountain and surrounded by rural water towns with similar traditional houses. The resort operates in conjunction with a homestay to the south and the historic Jizi Academy to the east, creating a mature and harmonious setting.
After a thorough on-site evaluation, we concluded that the main challenge was to balance the relationship between large-scale buildings and the surrounding nature, people, and culture amidst intensive development. Key questions included: How can imposing structures harmonize with the expansive natural wilderness? How can a sense of vacation be fostered within a limited space? And how can the unique cultural spirit of Jiangnan be integrated to give the site a distinct identity?
Gad’s answer was to create a “beautiful mountain residence unique to Jiangnan.” This vision guided the design across multiple dimensions—architectural form, landscape flow, and local spirit—aiming to craft a relaxed and comfortable “mountain forest pool” experience that avoids complicated decoration and conventional forms.
01 “U” – Shaped Enclosure with Layered Setbacks – Maximizing Landscape Sunlight
To foster a harmonious coexistence between architecture and nature, the building adopts a “U-shaped enclosure with layered setbacks” layout. The “U” opens to the south, with height gradually decreasing from north to south. This design visually breaks down the mass of large structures, allowing for a gentle and humble dialogue with Shun Mountain.
From an urban perspective, the continuous facade acts as a shield against noise from the east, west, and north, creating an inward-facing “paradise” within the city. Internally, as the building’s scale steps down from bottom to top, privacy naturally increases, establishing a clear “public to private” hierarchy: the first and second floors house public activity areas, while upper floors accommodate guest rooms.
The stepped setbacks also create accessible public terraces on each floor that connect occupants to nature, improving sunlight penetration indoors and enhancing interaction between people and the environment.
02 Integrated Home Garden, Three-Dimensional Landscape – A Compound Garden Experience
The hotel spaces are conceived as interconnected gardens, where each area contributes to a continuous, immersive human experience. By integrating architecture, landscape, and interiors, a three-dimensional garden is created, offering a multifaceted experience of walking, viewing, living, and sightseeing across both horizontal and vertical planes.
The design enhances this experience through subtle yet impactful elements. For example, the main courtyard contrasts the scale of the building with people, bridges, and a lake, blurring the perception of size and expanding the spatial experience to evoke the feeling of “swimming on the lake.”
The extended eaves further emphasize the horizontal stretch of the building, softening the perception of scale and “hiding” the building’s volume. This creates an intimate feeling, as if one is in the home or garden of a relative.
03 Ink Wash Colors and Natural Materials – Modernizing Classical Elements
The design draws inspiration from traditional Jiangnan architecture in both color and material, translating it into a modern architectural language. The color palette features black, white, and shades of gray, evoking the subtlety of ink wash paintings.
Surfaces use simple, textured materials to create a relaxed and leisurely ambiance. Garden elements such as small bridges, flowing water, lush greenery, and rock formations evoke the Jiangnan experience in a contextual and poetic manner. From overall composition to intricate details, the design captures the classical elegance of Jiangnan culture.
04 Summary
Changzhou Shunshan Wanyi Resort Hotel represents an exploration of natural mountain living within a plain landscape. By respecting nature and local culture, it offers a tranquil mountain and wilderness retreat for modern city dwellers seeking healing and relaxation.
Project Drawings
△ General Layout Plan
△ First Floor Plan
△ Standard Floor Plan
Project Information
Project Name: Changzhou Shunshan Marriott Resort Hotel
Location: Shunshan Town, Changzhou
Address: No. 11 Shunping East Road, Zhenglu Town, Tianning District, Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province
Design Year: 2021
Construction Year: 2024
Land Area: 46,907 m²
Building Area: 50,542 m²
Architectural Design: Gad Jiedi Design
Owner: Changzhou Jiuzhou Agricultural, Cultural and Tourism Development Co., Ltd
Photography: Zhu Qingyan
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