Chinese architecture and interior design studio WJ Studio has built a hotel that takes references from the traditional fishing village settlements in Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province, China. 

Named Lighthouse Hotel, the 5,000-square-metre hotel is situated in Zhejiang Province, in the northeastern region of the Zhoushan Archipelago. 

According to WJ Studio, the project encountered difficulties such inadequate transportation and rural depopulation. In order to solve these problems, the design transforms the traditional village spaces and the local natural topography into a new kind of island tourism hub by establishing rich spatial and landscape experiences both within and outside the hotel.

The architects started a tourism development project in Shengsi County, a secluded archipelago in the northeastern Zhoushan Islands, some five years ago. 

From Zhoushan Main Island, the trip to Shengsi is still an adventure: 2.5 hours by ferry, 3 hours by land and sea from Shanghai, 4.5 hours by road and ferry links from Hangzhou, and 4 hours from Ningbo by vehicle-passenger ferries.

Despite the recent introduction of seaplane and helicopter routes, Shengsi's accessibility violates the efficiency-driven expectations of contemporary passengers. 

Its attractiveness to mainstream tourists is naturally limited by its geographic isolation; this difficulty would subsequently inform our design strategy for the Huanglong Island Lighthouse Hotel.

Focusing on ecotourism, leisure getaways, and scientific education, Shengsi is positioned as a national-level island picturesque zone that blends marine culture with island folk traditions. 

The core development area is where Huanglong Island is located. When the design team first explored the location, the unique nature of the island was striking.

On the other hand, rural depopulation is a major problem for Huanglong Island. The kindergarten and elementary schools have been closed as a result of the large number of young people moving. Most of the fishermen who are left are old.

The situation on Huanglong Island is not unique. Changes in the demographic makeup of rural areas have been driven by China's rapid urbanization during the last three decades. 

In recent years, the effects of rural aging and declining vitality have been evident in the absence of new industrial investment.

The three dimensions of time

The design project's focus became more apparent as the preliminary detailed planning work went on: how to preserve and make use of the ocean's natural features, how to incorporate the architecture into the island's existing fishing village settlements, and how to genuinely let people "experience" Huanglong Island.

Time is the focal point of the entire design project and the design team's strongest impression of Huanglong Island. 

The central idea of the design revolves around the triple dimensions of time:

Natural time: The most crucial preconditions for the design and the genius loci are the distinct topographical features that have been developed by the island's terrain through the natural rules of evolution.

Historical period: Huanglong Island's distinctively primitive residential communities and fishing and agricultural culture are examples of the cultural layers that have been developed by the islanders' way of life and social activities. 

The spatial structure of the island has historically been altered by these human habitation practices, and the process of cultural landscape accumulation that results acts as the starting point for the design.

Human time: From the first viewpoint and human scale, the island can reshape views of the island fishing town in light of current population movement by offering each visitor a distinctive spatial experience that will draw in "new" residents.

Natural time

One characteristic of Zhejiang's coastline is the outline of Huanglong Island. With thick, dense flora covering almost every inch of rock and soil, massive reefs produce noticeable elevation variations. The North Subtropical Monsoon Marine Climate Zone, which includes Huanglong Island, is distinguished by pleasant winters, cool summers, modest rainfall, and year-round strong winds. Instead of arbor trees, the island is home to distinctive island plant species and clusters of low-lying bushes. 

The island is frequently covered in thick sea fog in the spring, which makes for a foggy but alluring scene where the sky and water are perfectly visible.

The Dongjutou Village, a promontory that juts out into the sea on the northeastern side of Huanglong Island, was chosen as the possible site for the hotel after the design team thoroughly examined the village's current layout, road system, and natural resources during the conceptual planning stage. 

On the easternmost reef, where the Lighthouse Hotel is located, the site's natural topography shows intricate height changes, with a maximum elevation difference of about 30 meters.

A landscape where the passage of natural time, as the genius loci, provides the design approach is created by the sea's tides, the sun and moon's rise and fall, and the seasonal variations.

Historical time

The stone dwellings, streets, and landscapes of Huanglong Island, sometimes referred to as "East Sea Stone Village," are the result of the early residents' survival skills in reaction to the island's rocky topography. 

Along the mountain slopes, the houses are constructed in stages, creating a structure resembling a stairway along the granite ridges. 

All of the residential structures on the southwest side of the property curve outward from the harbor to provide protection from strong sea breezes. 

Dongjutou Village's internal roads are straightforward cement walks that range in width from 1.5 to 3 meters, while a municipal concrete road has been built at the village's entrance. 

Road maintenance are haphazard and inconsistent, and transportation conditions are basic. Nonetheless, the village's residential design perfectly blends with the distinctive spatial form created by the original road system.

It is obvious that the village's original water, electricity, and road systems are insufficient to support the development, building, and operating needs of a contemporary hotel project. 

Image © Zhang Xi

Ensuring the continuity and regeneration of the site's texture was the main goal of the original design effort, which concentrated on rearranging the island's access points.

Consequently, the road system became the main focus of the design work during the planning stage as it was determined to be the essential structure of the entire settlement area. 

Image © Zhang Xi

In order to create a walking route that would lead people from Southern Port through a number of residential and village gathering places, gradually climb the northeastern cliffs, and eventually arrive at the lighthouse, the design team selected a number of sites with outstanding views and unique, iconic spaces. 

The three hotels and the original residential buildings were clearly separated within this pedestrian circuit, which served as the basis for later master planning. 

From a historical standpoint, the design project aims to preserve historical continuity by bridging the past and future through the current landscape.

Human time

In order to make the entire trip rich and engaging, the design attempts to create an immersive experience that starts as soon as one arrives on the island. The hotel needs to provide a picturesque experience, and the entire spatial sequence depends on the visual direction and flow design.

As the spatial sequence's organizing structure, the walking path from the harbor to the hotel methodically directs guests' gaze and movement. Visitors' eyes are pointed directly toward the far-off lighthouse at the end of the path, which also signifies the start of the hotel's spatial experience.

Form: spatial translation

The hotel's overall spatial plan arranges the space according to topographical elevation differences and adheres to the historic village's spatial size. 

The island's initial homes were comparatively tiny, usually ranging in size from 60 to 180 square meters. Yellow brick and stone, which provide good structural strength, are the main building materials. 

Image © Zhang Xi

The building is included into the design as an extension of the existing village fabric and natural topography.

Three historic protected reefs serve as anchors for the main building. The building complex's massing and form are a response to the existing basic residential settlements' texture.

The contemporary structure's bulk also echoes the old reef. To further lessen the feeling of weight, the solid space above the reef is suspended on isolated foundations. 

The landscape is made more interesting by the unique gray space created by the building's smooth bottom surface and the reef's rough, angular surface.

Image © Zhang Xi

With only two comparatively flat rock formations, the building complex blends seamlessly with the rugged mountain terrain. 

An outdoor path that naturally descends along the mountain ridge connects the hotel's central section, which is naturally divided into two groups. 

The design mimics the original experience of going around the island by using a sensory rhythm of "hidden-peek-open" and several transitions between "outdoor-indoor" and "indoor-outdoor."

A large, open rock hall is the focal point of Block A. Visitors may go up close and feel the texture of the aged, immaculate reef stones at the base of the building, which serves as a "canopy" to protect them. 

The room itself becomes a medium that directs the viewer's vision because of the design, which blurs the precise lines between "inside" and "outside." People may feel the timeless natural creation that remains with the passage of time and get a close-up look at the texture of the rough rocks when sunlight filters through the skylights.

The spatial organizing patterns of the island region's existing settlements served as inspiration for Block B's guest room unit layout. The guest rooms' spatial orientation and window design strategically respond to the different sunrise directions in winter and summer to frame particular exterior landscape views. The guest rooms are made up of three comparatively independent building volumes.

Human scale and experience once again play a crucial role in how time is interpreted in guest room design. The transition from "indoor to outdoor" is complete when the human eye passes through a spotless, unobstructed window, allowing sunshine to stream in, sea breezes to blow in, and the sound of waves to immediately fill the ears. Time stops when someone stops in front of any framed vista.

The Lost Villa· Huanglong Island Lighthouse Hotel's architecture offers a chance to consider rural restoration. Reweaving and revitalizing time and memory is the core of the regeneration endeavor. 

In order to turn the island depopulation crisis into a chance for a new type of island-specific ecological tourism development focused on deep experiential engagement, the intervention does not entail covering the past with steel and concrete; rather, it transforms the current local living and production scenes into contemporary narratives that are experiential, empathetic, and sustainable.

Site plan

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Detail drawing

"Beyond design" is the guiding philosophy that WJ Studio adheres to in its relentless pursuit of creating exceptional architectural spaces.

Project facts

Project name: Lighthouse Hotel

Project location: Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province

Completion year: 2025   

Building Area: 5,000 m2    

Client: Zhoushan Shengsi Lost Villa Hotel Management Co., Ltd.   

Master Planning & Architectural Design & Interior Conceptual Design: WJ Studio  

Principal Designer: Hu Zhile   

Design Team: Jin Yiran, Yang Xi, Liu Yu'ao, Huang Shufei   

Constructual Design: Peng Zhu   

Water Supply And Drainage Design: Wu Xu ‍  

Electrical Design: Fang Weigang   

Heating And Ventilation Design: Zhou Jie   

Conceptual Planning: Urban Fabric  

Interior Design: SZ-Architects

Construction company: Shanghai Yeyouzhu Decoration Engineering Co., Ltd.  

Video Shooting: Zhang Xi, STUDIO FANG

Video Editing: Zhang Xi

All images © Tian Fangfang unless otherwise stated. 

All drawings © WJ Studio.

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