Il Muro di Mattoni | Tsingpu Yangzhou Retreat: hotel boutique

Between recovered brick walls and silent courtyards, The Brick Wall designed by Neri&Hu Architects reinvents Chinese tradition in a boutique hotel suspended between water, sky, and architecture, where every step becomes a discovery and every perspective a narrative.

Landscapes framed while strolling through courtyards

Just a few steps from the scenic Slender West Lake in Yangzhou, the project designed by neri&hu architects for Tsingpu Yangzhou Retreat engages with an irregular terrain, marked by small lakes and existing buildings. The goal was to transform and expand the site while maintaining a respectful dialogue with Chinese tradition. The design is inspired by the courtyard house typology, creating spaces capable of framing the landscape and generating a continuous exchange between interior and exterior. This boutique hotel thus becomes a poetic reflection on architectural projects that can renew without erasing.

Gray bricks weave the path

To give unity to the complex, the architects imagine a mesh of gray brick walls and pathways that weave the project into a continuous narrative of solids and voids. The courtyards, ancient protagonists of Chinese living, return to define spatial and visual hierarchies. The play of light and shadow on the bricks invites guests to slowly discover the spaces, in a journey that enhances contemplation and silence. The courtyards host different functions: from the rooms to the common areas, such as reception, library, and restaurant, creating a delicate balance between privacy and sharing.

Sensory Experience Among Walls, Gardens, and Perspectives

Guests traverse the site along walled pathways, immersing themselves in an almost sensory experience, where the landscape gradually reveals itself. Some courtyards are secret gardens, small green oases that interrupt the strictness of the wall geometries and offer relief from the feeling of enclosure. The long perspectives and the play of levels allow for climbing and discovering new viewpoints, letting the gaze wander among the lakes and architectures. The whole presents itself as a composition of ever-changing and poetic landscapes.

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neri&hu architects

322 Jiao Zhou Road, Jing'an District, Shanghai City, China 200071