A structure or a space holds an unmissable capacity to speak—not on its own, but through the responses of its inhabitants. Architecture can elicit contemplation, it can provoke, intimidate and even exude safety. This intangible quality becomes one that is carefully honed by the architects, to make the intentions of their work lucid. In Fengxi New City, Shanxi Province, China, a hotel conceived by STUDIO A+ aims to be a sanctuary amidst the bustle of the city. The Mu Feng Yue Hot Spring Hotel, although situated minutes away from the clamorous city, embodies serenity owing to the natural wilderness that surrounds it. “This hotel represents a seamless fusion of city life and nature, providing guests with a peaceful and refined sanctuary. The architectural approach adopted here emphasises harmony with nature and thoughtful adaptation to the surroundings, resulting in a design of minimalist façades paired with a rich interior,” reads the project's official release.

STUDIO A+ is an emerging design team providing innovative architectural, interior design, landscape architecture, and product design solutions. Helmed by Min Wang, the founding partner and the design principal of the studio, the practice traverses multidisciplinary spheres while focussing attention on comprehensive design solutions. The ethos of Studio A+ revolves around contriving holistic architecture and crafting a better life through thoughtful design. Wang also heads the brand of WM, creating fashion drawings from architecture.

The Mu Feng Yue Hot Spring Hotel is realised as a choreography in space—walls strategically intersecting, running parallelly and framing the environment. As the structural limbs collide and diverge, moulding the spatial experience of the hotel design, the efforts of the architects to pull into the surrounding context are apparent. This approach extends into the choice of materials such as rich earth-toned, timber-textured concrete, that blends into the colour palette of nature instead of imposing itself in the scenery. The sunken courtyard design, responding to the local conditions, intends to present the building as if sprouting organically from the ground.

The hotel, spanning 3440 square metres, encompasses six guest rooms with an indoor pool each. Furthermore, eight outdoor pools with showers and lounges are accessible to the visitors. The hospitality design aspires to stand out with luxurious amenities donned in a minimal language of calmness—the ‘rice paper lantern’ suspended tearooms, reflecting pools, sloping water surfaces and a Zen-inspired orange-tinted glass pavilion design floating on water, fortify the promised mystical getaway.

Apart from the built area, the hotel is perched on a site that enjoys a sweeping outdoor area of 10,000 square metres. Now developed into an enticing layout of gardens, water features, lawns and seasonal flower beds, the exterior sections of the project become extensions of the indoors. Water is used across the project in a variety of ways—inside rooms and outdoors—to preserve a serene ambience. The tinted glass pavilion, a striking addition to the hospitality architecture, projects onto a large pool design, almost as a safe cocoon for contemplation. The fine dining halls and tearooms, key attractions of the hotel, extend the approach of being in harmony with the context by specialising in local flavours.

The building was constructed on top of a pre-existing structure—consequently laying out the limitations of the project. To tackle the retrains and minimise earth backfilling, the architect started positioning the building functions from the first basement level, carefully crafting a sunken courtyard using the landscape and connecting it to the ground through green slopes on two sides. The hotel site also features an urban pumping station and a power distribution facility on the second underground level. These interventions attest to the designer's respect for the site's condition and its judicious utilisation while also reducing costs for the developer.

In addition to the spatial offerings, the hotel adopts a series of technological features that enhance its energy efficiency. Temperature-sensitive skylights automatically adjust to regulate the indoor microclimate and allow natural light into public spaces. Light-guiding openings usher daylight to lower levels, reducing energy consumption further. The green roof harnesses rainwater while cooling the indoor spaces. The environmentally conscious measures aim to reduce long-term operational costs and express a commitment to sustainable architecture.

The Mu Feng Yue Hot Spring Hotel, nestled amidst the landscape, appears as an example of a muted edifice and the visual impact it can catalyse. The hotel architecture project successfully strikes the eye, not through grandeur and loud materials, but through humble tones and a play of geometry. Vacillating between a contemporary expression and local inspirations, the hotel invites moments of silence and peace—a shell that strives to embody the tranquillity it hopes to be a sanctuary for.