Orange Bay Homestay

Located at the foot of Taihu Lake Bridge, the project is a combination of stock renovation and new construction. The architects hope to explore the relationship between space and nature through the use of materials, light and shadow. Compared to the café part, which can be seen from the Taihu Bridge, the lodging part is more secretive and needs to pass through the bridge completely before it can be seen in its entirety. A two-story cylinder was left behind after the demolition of a sawtooth-shaped building within the site. The site is strategically located, backed by the Taihu Lake landscape, and the architects wanted the completed building composition to be as simple as possible, so the new part was streamlined into a simple rectangle, connected to the stock cylinder by a large platform. In the natural landscape, the simplest squares and circles are used to form a geometric beauty.

The B&B has a total of 9 rooms, divided into 4 main types. The stock is a large cylinder, transformed - 1F is used for fabrics and other logistical space, 1F is the reception space of the B&B, facing the lake with floor-to-ceiling windows, maximizing the use of natural scenery. The main part of the rectangle is evenly distributed with 8 rooms. One of the first floor is designed as 2 LOFT rooms in the center and two large bed rooms with skylights. The square and round volumes are integrated through a large platform, the volume of the base plan rises through the large platform, the 2F of the cylinder is designed as a new guest room, and the other side of the rectangular body rises above the rectangular body with different volumes, which continues the geometrical aesthetics of the façade composition, and at the same time, creates a rich spatial and light effect inside the building.

When planning a trip, contemporary customers not only seek beautiful local scenery and special culture, but also want to have a unique living experience during a short vacation. A good B&B should be a combination of natural scenery and space design. The design of light is an important theme in space design. The cylinder of the first floor entry echoes the large cylindrical space of the stock, with a completely open top that funnels different light, rain and snow as the seasons and weather change. On the one hand, the entry space isolates the visual interference from the outside of the site, on the other hand, it also removes the noise from the outside world for the guests, re-establishing the user's connection with nature, and thus opening up a peaceful and cozy holiday journey.

The overall color of the space is the brick red of terra cotta as the basic color, inspired by the sunset looking towards Taihu Lake from the grounds. Unlike the black and white of Chinese landscape paintings, the colors of nature are rich and warm. Therefore the main part of the B&B is painted with rough texture, and the small cylinder volume is emphasized with ceramic brick veneer. Simple architectural shapes and rustic materials set each other off, and different materials of the same color make the richness and readability of the building façade enhanced. The warm colors stimulate the senses, which will reach its peak at sunset. The building is both a picture frame that exists as a framed scene and a visual subject with nature as a backdrop.

In the process of project implementation, the design team usually has to face a lot of complicated situations, especially how to make a balance between the new and the old, the natural and the artificial in the site through design. Through many on-site researches and interpretation of the site conditions, we believe that “simplicity” is the most effective way to solve complex problems. Through simple geometry, the building emerges from the natural environment without being overly conspicuous. The expression of different materials in a single color emphasizes the “simplicity” of the building form. At the same time, the building expresses the design details at a close human scale. The design of the building form and interior space is consistent with its function, and refuses to be expressed in a “showy” way. It is hoped that users can feel the beauty of architecture and nature in the space.