乌镇船酒店丨中国嘉兴丨workshopXZ

Architects:workshopXZ

Area:84124m²

Year:2023

Photographs:Runzi Zhu

Lead Architects:Zijie Cao

Design Team:Zijie Cao, Xin Wu, Siming Ke, Rensu Dong

Facade Design Institute:The Architectural Design & Research Institute of Zhejiang University Co., Ltd. (UAD)

Lighting Design:Shanghai Bingsi Lighting Design Firm

Clients:Wuzhen Tourism Co., Ltd

City:Jiaxing

Country:China

Text description provided by the architects. The Wuzhen Vessel Hotel stands adjacent to the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, nestled in the northwest corner of the Wuzhen Scenic Area, renowned as one of China's last waterside dwellings. Boasting 493 rooms along with diverse dining options and fitness facilities, it is the largest hotel in the area. Embodying the concept of a Chinese barque moored in a harbor, the hotel's design intricately weaves traditional Chinese motifs with modern materials and technologies.

The facade design artfully captures traditional Chinese scenes using contemporary elements. Parametric bamboo-finished aluminum shading louvers wind across the podium's facade, evoking the imagery of rippling waves caressing the hull. Meanwhile, parametric grey louvers adorning the tower facade emulate the ascent of billowing sails. These features not only play with light and shadow through variations in color and depth but also create a dynamic visual effect.

A standout feature is the outdoor infinity pool, cantilevered from the "deck," offering guests the sensation of swimming amidst the clouds above the canal and town, blurring the boundaries between water and sky. As dusk descends, the panoramic lighting scheme paints a poetic tableau reminiscent of fishing fires and lone sails casting their shadows.

The curtain walls of this project exhibit diversity and complexity. Leveraging parameterized design techniques and innovative fabrication and installation details, both the podium and towers manifest the original design vision. The tower's typical facade comprises a dual-unit curtain wall system—combining inner glass panels with outer honeycomb-structured aluminum plate shading louvers—enhancing both construction efficiency and production accuracy. Additionally, various other curtain wall forms, such as frit pattern glass curtain walls, honeycomb-structured stone curtain walls, aluminum board curtain walls, zinc roofs, and a variety of canopies, contribute to the architectural richness of the hotel.

Project gallery

Project location

Address:Wuzhen, Tongxiang, Zhejiang, China