Creating a Memorable Experience for Millennial Travelers at Chapter and Verse Hotel

Tongxiang, Jiaxing, China

Project Status: Built

Year: 2021

Size: 25,000 sqft – 100,000 sqft

Chapter and Verse Hotel – The objective of Chapter and Verse Hotel is to create a destination hotel through creative, inspirational design and a rememberable experience of hospitality. The program values millennial travelers who aspire to discover new experiences in a popular location and aims to transcend the expectations of creative and independent-minded travelers in Asia and beyond.

Architizer chatted with Nianlai Zhong, Founding Partner at New Practice Studio, to learn more about this project.

Architizer: What inspired the initial concept for your design?

Nianlai Zhong: Inspired by the local architectural context of residences built above waterways, the design of the hotel centers around an atrium with a series of floating bridges that connect guestrooms to the public space. To the north of the atrium, the staggered guestrooms open to outdoor terraces with optimized views of the river. To the south of the atrium, the façade facing the street is enveloped with wooden screens that open, filtering natural light while creating an ambiguous relationship between the exterior and interior.

This project won in the 10th Annual A+Awards! What do you believe are the standout components that made your project win?

The project is an example of how the spaces of a hotel could respond to the rich history of its locale in a creative way. The floating bridges in the atrium, while invoking the local architectural traditions of residences built above riverbanks, create a unique experience of hospitality that is welcoming and ceremonial at the same time. The different moments of the interior, from the sculptural stair to the abstract stones on the reflecting mirror, from an atrium highlighted by the verticality of the wooden screens and the horizontality of the bridges to the terraces and gardens that connect the interior to the exterior, opens up the hotel for the guests to discover, like the chapters in a book.

What was the greatest design challenge you faced during the project, and how did you navigate it?

The lack of local builders with experience in some of the specialized trades was quite challenging for the project during the construction phase. Close collaboration and coordination between the design team, contractors, and the client were critical in resolving these challenges. Patience is of the essence.

How did the context of your project — environmental, social or cultural — influence your design?

The local architectural context was an important source of inspiration for the project. Wuzhen, the location of the project, is an ancient town with a recorded 3000 years of history. Often referred to as the “Venice of China”, Wuzhen is renowned for its abundant waterways as well as its vernacular architecture built along waterways. The design of Chapter and Verse hotel aims to capture the spirit of the local architectural context while reinterpreting it with a sense of modern and abstract aesthetics.

What drove the selection of materials used in the project?

From the exterior of the hotel to its interior, we highlighted the contrast between the warmth of wood and the coolness of stone or metal. This is in an effort to provide a comfortable touch and feel for the guests in the background of a clean and calm space.

The guestroom walls are finished with a subtle layer of hand-brushed plaster while in the bathrooms, custom-made terrazzo wraps the floors, walls, and vanity counters. These special finishes were executed with extra attention to detail, and they elevate the spatial quality of the guestrooms.

What is your favorite detail in the project and why?

We even played with the concept of water in the dimension of sound, by creating constant dripping of water with a small pool under the spiral stair in the lobby, so the guests are welcomed with the sound of water upon their arrival.