Silver A' Design Award Winner 2024
Zhijun Zhong's Xiangkai Weifang Shangcheng Longyue Clubhouse represents a distinguished achievement in contemporary hospitality interior design, demonstrating how biophilic principles and sculptural architectural elements may harmoniously coexist within a single unified spatial vision, the designer appears to have drawn upon organic modernism traditions while articulating a distinctly contemporary vocabulary, the ceiling treatment of rhythmically spaced wooden slats establishes a warm tonal envelope that immediately communicates welcome and natural material authenticity, arguably evoking associations with traditional craft while maintaining precise contemporary detailing, the most striking formal innovation emerges in the treatment of structural columns as sculptural presences, their smooth white surfaces and flared capitals suggesting natural growth forms perhaps reminiscent of mushroom morphologies or the branching of trees, these elements function simultaneously as structural support and spatial markers defining programmatic zones within the open floor plan, the material palette demonstrates sophisticated restraint, allowing the warm wood and sculptural white to dominate while introducing carefully measured accents of verde marble, brushed metals, and soft textiles that enrich without overwhelming the primary dialogue, the terrarium installation visible at left introduces an element of contemplative miniature landscape, a design gesture that may reference traditions of contained nature appreciation while offering visitors moments of focused observation, natural light enters through generously scaled glazing softened by translucent curtains, creating a luminous yet calm atmosphere that avoids harsh shadows, the integration of a library and lounge zone visible beyond suggests a programmatic approach that prioritizes dwelling and contemplation over mere transaction, viewers might consider how the organic column forms invite a different bodily relationship to architectural support than conventional rectilinear elements, and how the material warmth of the ceiling envelope creates a sense of sheltered intimacy within the generous volume.
Weifang, located in the west of Shandong Peninsula, has a good reputation as a national eco-garden city. The urban construction follows the integration of architecture and nature, utilizing the planning concept of Let the city be in the forest, the forest be in the city, to create green ecological buildings. In this project of space design, the designer will continue this concept of urban planning at the same time into the design. Plant a forest under the shell of the building, shape a living space, and open up the expectation of future life in the interaction with nature.