DEYANG, CHINA

Commission | Hotel & Business Complex  

China | 2014 

BRIEF

Like a giant ship setting sail against the rising sun, sailing from the west to the east, this aquatic-themed hotel complex seeks to enhance the city's tourism. Its overall layout draws inspiration from a cluster of blooming lotuses—symbolic in Chinese mythology of happiness and auspiciousness—organising the site into a hierarchy of public, semi-public, and private spaces that guide circulation and frame views. 

The complex, envisioned as a golden treasure within the city’s vibrant landscape, is designed to stimulate sustained economic activity and attract investment. It integrates diverse programs—including commercial spaces, offices, residential hotels, exhibition halls, dining venues, conference facilities, and entertainment centres—into a cohesive whole. Each department is strategically positioned to foster dynamic, interdependent relationships, creating a multifunctional urban hub that promotes both social engagement and economic vitality. 

The three towers, designed by previous architects, with their familiar yet elegant profiles, anchor the site—reminding the observer of an iconic precedent while asserting their own identity through context, scale, and materiality. As water pools and gardens reflect the towers’ forms, the complex seems to float between city and nature, artifice and ritual. 

As of summer 2019, the project remains incomplete, poised to become a landmark that harmonises symbolic meaning, aspiration, movement, and joy—a dynamic focal point for Deyang’s urban growth and cultural expression.

[Collaborative project undertaken by Rui Monteiro whilst working at R.Y.B Architecture & Design Institute in China]

CONTEXT

IMAGES

DRAWINGS