Hotel and Residences in Ancient Forest

The forests are among the oldest living things on Earth, with mysterious beauty perfected by age. The trees have the power to connect us to a sense of time and nature that supports lives, and interdependency that most of us have sometimes overlooked. It is this beauty, majesty, and power that the proposal of the Hotel and Residences at the Ancient Tree Garden captures. Ancient trees, in particular, as long-lived survivors, hold many mysteries of the world, like invisible engravings of time, with secrets to be unlocked.

The sublimity of the ancient trees is portrayed in the proposal in three layers: Time, Texture and Composition. The architectural expressions of the structures subtly transcend the beauty of nature to the observers, as they submerge themselves amid the ancient trees.

TIME
There is a living document embedded in the rings of the wood cells. Each ring is uniquely formed like fingerprints of the past, depending on the surroundings and conditions. A poetic space is curated by placing a series of rings to mimic the tree rings, giving the observers a sense of journeying through time, with a tree as the focal point.

TEXTURE
Peeling away the rough hard bark reveals the smoothness within. Similarly, each building on site has tarred coated wood shingles exterior, in contrast to the light and smooth timber materials of the interiors. The black finish distinguishes each building from the dense forest and provides lasting protection.

COMPOSITION
The towering mountains in the Shan Shui painting form the conception of the roofscape of the proposal. The silhouette of the different pitches creates a dreamlike impression, complementing the natural landscape. All the buildings stand humbly in a picturesque setting surrounded by water, mountains, and ancient trees.

Award : Longlisted Top 60 of 560 entries
Organisers: RIBA and Young Bird Plan