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Yun House is a boutique eco-resort nestled within a village in the north eastern part of Yangshuo which is situated along the dramatic landscape of the Li River. The site consists of nine renovated farm houses and one new addition which functions as an all-day dining restaurant for hotel guests.
Taking on a sensitive approach to the local culture with villagers still living nearby, the overall planning and landscape design blends into the original village structure. The buildings were retrofitted to accommodate uncompromised contemporary living, while the new restaurant addition adopts an understated presence with the use of steel frames, glass pivot doors and windows. In contrast with the locally sourced rough-cut stone blocks, charcoal treated wooden louvers and terra-cotta roof tiles continue the heritage of the local area.
The spatial dialogue and sense of continuity between the old and the new buildings maintains an order of symbiosis between the foreign (hotel) and the local (village). The same design principles extends to the interior space of the hotel. The dialogue between people, space, light and landscape was meticulously planned out. The typical layout of the vernacular house here is a three bay structure with a double height volume in the middle bay. Each building consists of four guest rooms with a shared living and hangout space in the center. Bamboo, wood, galvanized steel, concrete finishes and pebble washed stones are the main materials utilized bringing a sense of nature to the interior decor. The original wood beams and existing wooden doors were refurbished and reused on the project. Ares Partners’ intent was to bring calm and tranquility into the interior spaceswhilst respecting the culture and heritage of the surrounding area.