China , 2016-04-19
The Xi’an Legend Hotel is located in the Taiping Valley area between the Qinghua Mountain and Guifeng Mountain in Caotang town, Xi’an City, at the foot of the rolling Qinling range. To its east are the remains of Shanglin Palace from Han Dynasty, and also to its east is Yajian International Golf Club. Stretching to Taiping River to the west and Xufeng road to the north, it’s only one mile away from a mountain road popular with tourists and 40 minutes’ drive from Xi’an. Surrounded by mountains and water, the site is bestowed with rich natural resources.
Xi' an Legend Hotel is beside the Xi' an Yuanzi Residence project. The topography and terrain of this site is quite complicated.
HWCD design teams carefully investigated the site and the surrounding area. The outlook towards the loess plateau with layer upon layer of peaks and knolls is rich material for inspiration. The topography has supported cave dwellings for many centuries.
A winery is planned inside the Xi'an Legend Hotel demonstrating the local traditional brewing process. The HWCD design team visited a winery in Huxian, Shannxi Provinc to understand the brewing process including the fermenting, distilling and storage processes. The use of local materials and brewing equipment is an essential part of the local cultural heritage.
Our intention was to design a building which appears to grow organically from the mountain and is fully integrated into its location. Using rammed earth from the site to clad the walls of the hotel not only offers sustainability and a cost-effective construction material but a unique opportunity to give a strong identity and a dynamic atmosphere to the elevation.
At the very beginning of the design stage, we designed four different options. The first and original option was finally chosen as the one to develop.
Further to approval the hotel scheme design was completed. The main hotel was built along the mountain. The guests are able to arrive at the entrance via a winding road which was designed to fung xui principals to the east. There are wide waterscapes, cascading waterfalls and islands between the residence and the hotel. This enriches the view of the north side of the hotel while providing a good southerly outlook.
The hotel has 10 floors featuring a lobby, banquet hall, restaurants, bars, theaters, a conference center, a fitness center, bedrooms, offices, a presidential suite, and equipment rooms. Pedestrian traffic flow is comfortable as the lay-out is flexible and creative. There are platforms or balconies adjacent to all the important spaces, integrating the external natural environment. Besides the main building, the design team created a series of functional smaller buildings.
