Walled City Sanya: wellness between light and matter

In the Haitang Bay on the island of Hainan, the Sanya Wellness Retreat reinterprets the ancient walled Chinese city. A project signed by Neri&Hu that blends historical roots and local craftsmanship in an architecture suspended between sea and silence.

An urban landscape embracing the sea

Inspired by the typology of the walled city, the project by Neri&Hu is articulated in two L-shaped volumes that meet to generate a central water courtyard. It is from this void that all the public functions of the hotel develop. At the base, a masonry base encloses the lobby and common areas; above, the wooden rooms rest like suspended huts. The atrium transforms into a garden inhabited by light: a floating lantern filters natural light and accompanies visitors in an immersive and sensory experience, marked by the slow rhythm of the island.

Local Materials and Island Memories

Every detail of the project seeks to capture the spirit of the place, blending materials and knowledge from Hainan Island. The masonry walls of the ground floor are covered with handmade clay bricks, while fabrics and carpets are inspired by the textile art of the Li minority. Bamboo is pressed and shaped, in dialogue with woven rattan and yellow bronze inserts, adding warmth and depth to the spaces. These elements give life to architectural projects where material and cultural identity merge into a coherent and contemporary narrative.

A rhythm of fullness and emptiness that invites discovery

The guest rooms are designed as small wooden cabins, inside of which the services are contained. The space between one volume and another becomes a place of rest, with balconies overlooking the ocean. The facade alternates full and empty, inclined surfaces and textured materials, creating ever-changing plays of light and shadow. The corridor connecting the housing units transforms into a small urban street: a space for meeting and discovery, where even daily passage is filled with wonder.

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PEOPLE

neri&hu architects

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