Garden on the Rock Hotel, Chongqing, China.

The project is located in Wuling mountainous area, Fuling district. It is 130 km away from Chongqing downtown. The hotel sits at Yanshang garden, also known as “Garden on the rock,” which is one of the scenic areas of Damu Flower Valley.

The site is around 120m length and 80m width. It is at the top of the hill that slightly above the valley with an altitude of 1800m. Concerning a flower valley, the site is literally surrounded by mountains with the sea of flowers. The strong sense of tranquility evoked by the natural environment, which includes elements such as mountains, forest, flowers, and birds, is an important feature of the project.

Pathway to the hotel starts from the south entrance of flower valley. Guests need to find the reception by going through a winding mountain road. In order to respond to the rock context, the massing of the hotel was designed to follow the shape of the mountain and rise spirally. Restaurant and reception area were planned on the ground floor in consideration of convenience. The exterior terrace allows visitors dining in the natural environment.

Meditation area, in particular, was designed under the middle scuttle of the hotel, allow the guests to meditate and stay away from secular annoyance. The beam of sunlight that grows from the edge of circle scuttle keeps recording the time lapses.

The architects try to pursue a rough texture that fit in well with the environment and blur the border between the building and nature by using local rock as the primary material of façade. Even though it is a concrete structure, this method still decreases the impact that hotel creates to the surrounding context.

Special-designed spiral plan of guest rooms allows each room to have a different perspective on the same landscape. Every guest room has its private courtyard and sightseeing terrace.