Silver Hospitality, Recreation, Travel and Tourism Design · 2025
Youhe Community Hospitality Design
by Zhifeng Zhao
- A' Design Award 2025 Silver Winner in Hospitality, Recreation, Travel and Tourism Design
- Awarded April 15, 2025
- CLIENT: ZHANG Qiang
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 67,880
- Verification code 79A2022B47 · Verify this award
About Youhe Community Hospitality Design
The Project on Lotus Island skillfully merges the pastoral charm with the idea of rural cooperative, offering an immersive agricultural tourism experience. Its design emphasizes sustainability and simplicity, blending nature with functional spaces. The use of hand-drawn visuals and natural materials creates a harmonious atmosphere, while the flexible layout, including terraces, reading areas, and tiered seating, fosters relaxation and social interaction. By balancing aesthetic appeal with practical functionality, the project provides visitors with an unique connection to nature and Community.
Within the contemporary discourse surrounding adaptive architecture and community-centered hospitality, ZHAO Zhifeng's Youhe Community Hospitality Design emerges as a thoughtfully realized meditation on the dialogue between industrial heritage and intimate human gathering. The design appears to engage with traditions of warehouse conversion while advancing a distinctly warm and nurturing spatial proposition through the strategic insertion of timber-clad pavilion structures within the existing steel-framed envelope. The formal achievement lies in the careful calibration of scale relationships, where the soaring double-height volume with its exposed white trusses provides spatial generosity while the wooden gabled forms create zones of domestic comfort and psychological shelter. The chromatic strategy demonstrates notable sophistication, juxtaposing the natural warmth of oak and ash timber against the cool neutrality of white-painted steel and gray concrete, achieving a temperature contrast that activates the space without discord. Suspended fabric elements bearing organic botanical imagery and calligraphic characters introduce cultural specificity and vertical visual interest while softening acoustic properties. The furniture selection, featuring chairs with cane webbing that reference mid-century craft traditions, establishes a material continuity with the timber architecture while circular floor rugs define intimate social territories within the open plan. One might observe how natural light entering through clerestory windows and horizontal apertures creates gentle atmospheric gradations that shift throughout the day, connecting occupants to external natural rhythms. The design invites contemplation of how contemporary hospitality spaces might honor both industrial memory and the human need for warmth, craft, and community connection.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- This vibrant agro-tourism space on Lotus Island, Suzhou, blends pastoral beauty with the rural cooperative concept. The design uses hand-drawn illustrations and simple lines, with orange and white contrasts for a fresh look. The architecture combines repurposed materials and natural scenery, while wood and rattan interiors create a simple, nature-connected atmosphere. The space offers dining with views, a reading nook, and multi-functional areas for gatherings and study.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The project occupies a single floor with a thoughtful layout. The main space faces the bar counter, flanked by IP product exhibition areas, creating a central, functional design. To the right, an open dining and viewing area features terraces by the window and built-in bookshelves, offering a cozy reading spot. Behind a soundproof curtain on the left, a tiered seating area provides a flexible space for events like study tours or social gatherings.
- Tags
- Tourism Complex, Landscape Design, Argo-tourism Space, Travel Design, Tourism Design
- Production Technology
- The overall cost control of the project is relatively low, and the design and construction are closely integrated during the process. The material control often uses old wood for renovation and reuse, which is also part of sustainable design.
- Design Challenge
- A key challenge of the design was the owner's limited budget, requiring careful cost control and strategic material selection. To address this, the design reused old materials, reducing costs while adding unique character and sustainability. Focused design elements were prioritized to maintain impact without exceeding the budget. Close collaboration with the construction team ensured a balance between design vision and practical constraints, maintaining high craftsmanship while adhering to financial limitations for a successful outcome.
- Project Duration
- Project Duration:October 2023- December 2023
Location: Lotus Island, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China - Operation Flow
- Youhe Community is a rural revitalization project developed in collaboration with the local town government, becoming a model for rural redevelopment in Suzhou. Since its opening, the project has provided a new leisure destination for both local residents of Lotus Island and visitors. During the crab season, the area experiences a significant influx of people, highlighting its commercial value and popularity.
- Research
- The early-stage research focused on co-creation, involving in-depth collaboration with stakeholders. This included discussions with the owner to meet practical needs and with the head of Lotus Island to integrate local characteristics. University students, especially younger groups, were engaged for fresh perspectives and innovative ideas. This multi-layered collaboration enriched the design approach, providing both a solid theoretical foundation and practical basis for the final outcome.
- Inspiration
- The project is inspired by the pastoral beauty of Lotus Island in Suzhou, with its serene lakes and lush landscapes. It also draws from the collective spirit of rural cooperatives, emphasizing shared efforts and sustainable development. This blend of nature and collaboration creates a vibrant, interactive agro-tourism space.
- Image Credits
- DENG Chun
Colors of Youhe Community Hospitality Design
Get Youhe Community Hospitality Design
Spatial Design for Hospitality and Cultural Tourism
We create immersive spatial experiences that harmonize with local culture and natural environments. Our design philosophy emphasizes authentic materials, thoughtful user journeys, and sustainable practices, transforming spaces into meaningful destinations that connect visitors with place and…
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