Renovation of Yule Mountain Boutique Hotel in Hangzhou, China by Continuation Studio.

Design practise Continuation Studio renovated the Yule Mountain Boutique Hotel in Hangzhou, China, one of the country’s most popular holiday destinations. The old-fashioned farmhouse property has been operated for over a decade by a local couple who had faced challenges regarding hotel rates and a discrepancy between peak-season and off-season numbers. Rather than let the business slip further into a lull, the owners decided to transform the physical space and breathe life back into the hotel.

An idyllic hideaway, the property is set on a creek and surrounded by mountains, accessed via a single provincial road. The original 4-storey, five-bay main building featured imitation blue brick veneers, flush gable roofs and ornately carved timber doors and windows, evoking a ‘traditional Chinese’ farmhouse style prevalent in hotels built throughout the country in the early 2000s. Continuation Studio recognized the surrounding landscape and terrain as the unique drawcard of the hotel, and sought to bring it to the fore in the renovation.

The designers created a ‘dramatic entrance’ featuring a raised terrace, screen wall and timber-framed staircase, seeking to isolate the site from the external world and assist guests in disconnecting and relaxing. A timber porch features continuous windows that look out to the abundant greenery, while eaves underneath soften the visual impact of the entryway façade. The hotel is split across a four-story main building and a two-storey annex, with a triangular courtyard and inner courtyard with a pool. Corridors enclosed by timber slats connect and encircle the buildings and courtyards, allowing sunlight to filter through.

Set in front of the lobby, the shallow pool in the inner courtyard represents ‘the art of doing nothing’, aligned with Zen philosophy. “The rumble of the water beside the base reminds us the existence of external reality. The reality, imagination and memory are mixed here to jointly set the tone of the inner courtyard,” says Continuation Studio.

Internally, the designers reclaimed certain elements from the previous building, as well as implementing new. Timber doors carved by the owners are now hung on the façade of the annex building. Penetrable surfaces such as screens, operational glass doors and timber slats work as transitions between scenery and interiors, enhancing a sense of tranquillity for guests. An overhanging steel structure was added to the original concrete building, adding a balcony to each guest room.

[Images courtesy of Continuation Studio. Photography by Yi-Long Zhao & Jiu-Jiang Fan.]