"Minimally Invasive" Upland Design: Dongmingshan Forest Language

Dongmingshan Forest Language is located in a natural forest within the Dongmingshan Forest Park, with a dense cover of metasequoia and moso bamboo. The complex consists of a reception center and three types of detached guest rooms.

01 A "Minimally Invasive Surgery" - Venue
Through a long mountain trail, we come to a site embracing a murmuring stream flowing downstream and a dense metasequoia forest towering into the clouds, where a few shabby wooden houses are half-hidden. Faced with such a site, the designers insisted on maintaining the ecology with minimum intervention, and suggested making a "minimally invasive surgery" to the forest. Therefore, they adopted a softened architectural approach to make the design a harmonious part of the natural forest and protect the original appearance of the woodland to the maximum extent.

02 Immersing in "Forest Scene" - Reception Center
The original site of the reception center was adjacent to a ramp on one side and a dense metasequoia forest on the other. The new design changed the original building into the reception center to meet the overall service needs.
The rebuilt reception center continues the volume and landscape feeling of the original building. The long windows on the lower part of the south side retain the original view of the metasequoia forest, while on the north side, windows were changed to the side top, which not only can keep out the ramp, but also can look into the dense moso bamboo forest on the north side of the hillside. At the same time, the staggered openings at the top and bottom allow people passing by to have a clear view of the interior, and even to see the opposite side of the metasequoia forest through the building. For guests indoors, the long windows on both sides provide them with two different views of natural landscape, the metasequoia forest and the bamboo forest.
The reception center is the only way to the Forest Language Room. The designers hope that guests will be immersed in the forest from the moment they walk towards the building to the moment they enter and pass through to the rooms. In terms of the architectural form design, the shrinkage at the top echoes the form of the Pinecone Cabin and points to the next destination of guests. Whether inside or outside the building, the long windows on both sides provide a strong sense of continuity and direction, guiding guests to continue exploring the forest.

03 [Modularization] Variable Space – Pinecone Cabin
The dense metasequoia forest in the valley is the site for guest rooms. The original several wooden houses were very shabby, so it was decided to remove them and recreate a metasequoia forest theme space. For the sake of environmental protection, it is required to avoid cutting down the metasequoia trees and maintain the status quo of the woodland to the greatest extent. After many rounds of attempts, we finally decided to adopt a pinecone-type space form, i.e. to inwardly retract and elevate the bottom to allow some ground space and adapt to uneven terrain conditions at the same time, while also to inwardly retract the top to echo with the upward growth of the metasequoia trees, as for the middle part, the space will be vertically treated to ensure the functionality of the space. Overall, the building looks like a pine cone in the forest, which is skillfully integrated with the natural environment.
In order to adapt to the changing site of the metasequoia forest, each building adopts a modular assembly form. Based on a hexagonal plane , the design expanded the possibilities of various directions, and then based on the distribution of trees, various types of guest rooms are assembled. This modular assembly form of buildings not only adapts to the changing spatial conditions but also can efficiently utilize the narrow forest clearings.
In order to minimize the damage to the environment caused by construction, the building is constructed by assembling prefabricated components. The hexagonal shuttle-shaped main body is split into six facades of the same size, and the size of each prefabricated component is controlled to meet the prefabrication requirements. In this design, prefabricated components with prefabricated steel structure are assembled on site to reduce the onsite workload. In addition to the main body of the building, the interior space also has a standardized design. On the basis of each different modular function, interior furniture is customized, which not only provides a comfort interior space, but also provides guests with interesting experience.

04 [Full View] Interior and Exterior Space - Metasequoia Wood Cottage
Same as the Pinecone Cabin, the Metasequoia Wood Cottage is also built in the metasequoia woods, which is another design thinking of the designer for the dense forest space. The architectural form is also the same as that of the Pinecone Cabin, both of which adopt the traditional form of a "stilted building", in which the ground is lifted off to minimize the damage to the site, while at the same time, the building can provide better ventilation to alleviate the problems of heavy moisture in the mountainous area; moreover, lifting off the ground can also prevent snakes and insects from affecting guests' living experience to a certain extent. The main body of the building adopts a double-sloped roof, the soaring volume of which perfect matches the upright temperament of metasequoia, while the dark wood-grain facade echoes in material and texture to the overall color tone of the turquoise metasequoia.
In the slightly compact site of the original chalets, the designer attached great importance to the orientation, so that each chalet can have an exclusive view while together they form a group without interfering with each other. For the interior, the designer retained the full height of the main space, so that the guests can feel the changes of the sunlight and the shadows of trees through the skylight. At the entrance area, a partial second floor attic is set up, which increases the variable space and leaves room for functional expansion. The interior finishes are made of pine wood, the bright color of which gives people a feeling of home, which also fits perfectly with the surrounding metasequoia environment. Adjacent to the living space, there is a balcony, a small platform for guests to embrace nature.

05 [Modernization] Bamboo Element – A Bamboo Hut
Opposite to the metasequoia forest is a dense moso bamboo forest. The design rebuilt the original three small houses in the same location with the theme of bamboo forest. Taking into account the overall cost constraints, the designer adopted the simplest form of a square box with double sloped roof and concrete structure for the building, without complicated design in the form, but utilized the original bamboo element of the site and designed a woven bamboo curtain wall facade. At the same time, the steel frame structure is exposed to allow future changes (if any) to the form of the bamboo curtain wall.

06 Concluding Remarks
To ensure that the buildings fit perfectly in the dense forest, the designers have made repeated on-site explorations to confirm the location of each tree, and at the same time, adjusted the program immediately according to the actual situation during the construction process, so as to keep the site as it is to the largest extent and let the space and nature coexist in a harmonious way without removing one tree.
Besides the clear streams in the dense forests and around the morning singing birds behind the dappled shadows of trees, we built a mountain house far away from the urban hustle and bustle, a perfect place for you to rest your heart in tranquil and peace. We hope that every visitor to the Chalet Hostel can find a home to his or her own soul in the mountains and nature.