Architect’s Firm: ZJJZ
Contact e-mail: zjjz@zjjz-atelier.com
Project Location: Guizhou, China
Completion Year: 2018
Gross Built Area (square meters or square foot): 500 m2(40-50m2/building)
Lead Architects: Zhenyu Cao, Yuying Kate Tsai, Sean Shen, Xuanru Chen
Clients: Guizhou Dafa Tourism Development Co., Ltd.
Photo credits: Laurian Ghinitoiu, ZJJZ
Brands / Products: Philips Lighting, DAaZ Design Furniture

This is an aerial view of the collection of cabins with dark exteriors surrounded by tall trees and cliff views.

This is a close view of the collection of cabins with dark exteriors surrounded by tall trees and cliff views.

The collection of dark wooden cabins are looking over a farmland.

This is a closer look at the exterior of one of the cabins that has a large glass wall and a bathtub beside it.

This is a nighttime aerial view of the collection of cabins with dark exteriors surrounded by tall trees and cliff views with warm lighting.

This is a closer look at the interior of one of the cabins through the large glass window looking into the bathroom with a bathtub on the side.

This is a close look at the bedroom area of the cabin with a large bed, wooden walls and wooden shed ceiling with modern lighting.

This other bedroom has a tall cathedral ceiling with a large window on the side of the bed that brings in natural lighting.

This is a closer look at the cabin exterior that has a large entryway and dark shiplap wooden exterior walls.

This is a closer look at the dark exterior walls of the cabins, the mountain views and the proximity of each cabin to each other.

This is a view of one of the cabins while it was still under construction.

This is an illustration of the elevations of the cabins.

This is the illustration of the side elevation of the type 1 cabin.

This is the illustration of the cross section side elevation of the type 1 cabin.

Located in the remote village of Tuanjie, the Woodhouse Hotel is one of the first projects of a new government policy to help ameliorate rural poverty through the introduction of agricultural tourism. Unlike other rural areas, the village of Tuanjie has little traditional architecture to hold on to.

Instead, the striking landscapes and pollution-free farmlands are the village’s greatest assets. Therefore, our design goal was set to capture the beauty of nature with tranquil forms that harmonize with the surrounding environment.

The hotel consists of 10 single-story wooden houses on a hillside that merges into abundant grass and woods. The topography of the site is complex and features scattered rock formations. Drawings no longer provide sufficient information in this case.

Eventually, through thorough site surveys, the location and orientation of the ten wood houses were determined so as to capture the most appealing views without disrupting the original rock formations and forests. A reasonable pedestrian path leads from the bottom of the mountain to the ten individual houses.

Because of the complex terrain, all building materials were manually transported up to the mountain. In order to improve construction efficiency and minimize damage to the original rock formations, a combined structural system was adopted for each house using a wood-structured object and an elevated steel platform. The carbonized wood of the facade was manufactured on-site with a simple process to reduce cost.

The design of the wood houses aims to harmonize with the landscape and the rustic atmosphere while forming a contrast to the existing village buildings. Therefore, we avoided complex or exaggerated designs and selected three basic geometric forms.

Each house serves as a separate room. The volumes of the rooms are minimized to reduce the sense of presence in the environment while ensuring indoor comfort. The façade, made of carbonized wood, is weather-resistant, and its color and texture make the wood houses blend into the landscape smoothly.

For interior space, various windows are cut out in each house according to their form and orientation, introducing rich layers of surrounding landscapes into the pure volumes.