Located in Xinyu, within China’s Jiangxi Province, the site borders on Fairy Lake, a well-known scenic locale. According to a 1600-year-old Chinese tale, a beautiful fairy and a young farmer once fell in love at this very lake. As this is a romantic site that holds a place in folk culture, the client planned a surreal retreat that would allow the guests to escape from mundane life, relax, and enjoy nature.

Global Design & Architecture Design Awards 2021
First Award | Category: Hospitality (Built)

©Fangfang Tian, ZJJZ, Treewow

Therefore, the client’s request was to build several huts that would imitate natural forms, such as flowers, leaves, or insects. We, as architects, always believe that the core of design lies not in form but in space.

©Fangfang Tian, ZJJZ, Treewow

Accordingly, we explored many natural elements—but from the inside, not from the outside. We imaged dwelling in various forms found in nature, trying to discover magical moments and searching for a connection between space and the surrounding nature. In the end, we chose the Seed as the scheme we would develop.

©Fangfang Tian, ZJJZ, Treewow

Each Seed house forms a continuous, ellipsoidal surface, with a mirrored aluminum facade rising to meet pine shingles. This mirrored aluminum cladding reflects the surrounding environment, the changing weather and seasons. This metal surface takes on the luster of red soil in winter, green plants in spring and summer, mist when wet, and sunshine on bright days. Like the roots of a plant, this reflective cladding anchors each house to the earth, while the pine shingles give the structures a warm, soft aesthetic, allowing the structures to blend into the surrounding nature.