In an ancient capital of China, Neri&Hu Design
Research Office’s design of the Westin in Xi’an emerges as a tribute to both
the city’s importance as a hub of burgeoning growth in the region, as well as
its long standing status as a cradle of Chinese civilization. With 3,100 years
of history embedded in the layers of the city, Xi’an is not merely a formidable
backdrop to the building itself but has provided the architects with design
inspirations that inextricably link its past to its present and future.

Arriving in Xi’an’s historic center, one is immediately
struck by the fortress-like expanse of its enveloping city walls, and the
architecture of the Westin takes cues from this heavy monumentality. Respectful
of its urban context, the dark stucco and stone clad building blocks adopt the
profile of vernacular Chinese architecture. While the sloped contours and
overhanging eaves of the roof are immediately recognizable, its traditional
details have been reduced to the clean lines of a minimalist contemporary
architecture. The rhythmic sequence of deep-cut openings on the façade shifts
playfully, getting smaller on each subsequent level of the five storey
structure, giving the illusion of the building mass tapering as it rises. Each opening,
lined in a vibrant red hue, is slanted to direct views to neighboring landmark
the Big Wild Goose Pavilion and reveals the thickness of this architecture, as
deeply rooted in its history as in the ground itself.

The apparent heaviness of the architectural volumes is
constantly juxtaposed against elements which bring a certain lightness to the
project. From afar, it becomes apparent that the pitched roof, which is
typically quite low and heavy in a traditional Chinese building is here,
handled with more delicacy. Bulkiness shed and curves straightened, the roof is
lifted from the building mass below by a band of glazing and floats one level
above. Approaching it, one discovers that the entire assemblage of buildings is
surrounded by a reflective pool of water, leaving the impression of a building
that is suspended in an infinite sky. At either of its two main entries, wooden
slatted canopies are gently attached to the façade and allow light and shadow
to permeate deep into the interior, drawing visitors in further. Once inside, a
pleasant surprise awaits, the light which floods in through skylit courtyards
carved from each volume, as a piece of landscape implants itself into the
center of each block. The architects’ constant effort to extend the exterior
into the interior manifests most grandly perhaps in the sweeping set of stairs
at the East entry, which brings visitors down two levels below into a large
sunken garden at the very heart of the project, around which are located the
main public spaces. Like the Neolithic Banpo village on the skirts of Xi’an, or
the terracotta warriors for whom millions travel each year to visit, the
architecture is a celebration of the subterranean.

Along the journey from the East entry to the central
sunken garden is a feature which is unique to the Westin Xi’an, a museum
housing ancient mural art from the region. Neri&Hu’s concept for this space
is grounded in the basic notion that the display format for murals should be
inherently different from the display of any other form of art. As historic
objects of art needs strict humidity, lighting, and temperature control, the
design of the exhibition space starts with those basic units of exhibition,
metal cases hung on bare white walls. Departing from the quintessential “white
cube" museum idea here, each unit of display casework is positioned in a
way that expresses each case's individuality and the individuality of each work
of art within. By detaching the casework from the white wall, and then framing
the mural fragments as individual works, one is able to more deeply appreciate
each one as a unique art piece.

The Westin Xi’an features three restaurants whose
interiors Neri&Hu was also responsible for. The Chinese restaurant is a
free-standing building which caps off the sunken garden on the West side, and
its detachment from the other buildings allowed the architects to experiment
more freely with its massing. Cleverly playing on the notion of the heavy roof,
the entire building here is expressed as a Mansard roof which drops so low it
appears to only be slightly hovering off the ground. Dormer windows protrude on
each side to provide light, and the structure of the roof is exposed on the
interior, so that one is constantly reminded of the inhabitation of this roof.
The Private Dining Rooms are contained within a brick mass with vertical cuts
through it, bringing unexpected light and views to the dining experience. The
concept for the Japanese restaurant is derived from the stage of Kabuki
theater, where actors surround the audience and perform in the round. In this
restaurant, the main circulation paths are elevated around the perimeter, with
diners inhabiting the sunken area in between; servers and passersby become
performers on stage. Continuing the theme of performance and display, the
All-day-dining restaurant features glass encased dining and buffet areas in the
center of the space. Like a marketplace display vitrine, the food and spectacle
of feasting become focal points.

With Neri&Hu Design Research Office’s fresh take on
historic references, the Westin Xi’an pays due homage to this ancient city,
while continuing to break through preconceived notions of Chineseness in
architecture. Design Team: Lyndon Neri & Rossana Hu (principals-in-charge)
mariarosa doardo(associate)Briar Hickling (sr. interior designer), Willow Zhang
(architectural designer), Eva
Wieland (interior designer), Qi xiaofeng
(interior designer), Amy Hu (architectural
designer), Joy Qiao (project
manager), Candice-Lee Browne (sr.
interior designer), Kevin Azenger (architectural designer), Alena Fabila (interior designer)