Silver A' Design Award Winner 2023
Luo Dan - DDA's Pullman Yuxi Deluxe Five Star Hotel lobby functions as a sophisticated spatial narrative encoding cultural memory, natural philosophy, and hospitality symbolism through carefully orchestrated architectural and decorative elements. The monumental ink-wash landscape murals may reference the spiritual significance of mountains in traditional cosmology, where peaks represent the connection between earthly and celestial realms, while the misty atmospheric treatment suggests the philosophical concept of emptiness pregnant with possibility. The timber beam ceiling structure, radiating outward from center in leaf-like or fan-like patterns, could evoke the traditional architectural reverence for wood as a living material connecting human dwelling to natural cycles, while simultaneously suggesting the protective canopy of forest or the sheltering branches of sacred groves. The suspended sculptural elements in translucent aqua and cream, resembling floating leaves or descending feathers, potentially symbolize natural grace, seasonal transformation, and the gentle arrival of auspicious fortune, their hovering presence activating the threshold between solid and ethereal. The golden columnar accents flanking the murals may reference traditional associations between gilt surfaces and prosperity, welcome, and honored status, their vertical emphasis connecting ground plane to elevated ceiling in symbolic aspiration. The celadon green illuminated panels invoke the cultural prestige of jade, traditionally associated with virtue, protection, and refined beauty, their soft glow suggesting the inner luminosity of precious stone. The central sculptural installation of interwoven latticed forms in bronzed metal evokes the archetypal symbolism of birds in flight or leaves in wind, representing freedom, natural harmony, and the dynamic balance between form and void. The reflective floor surface activating mirror imagery suggests traditional associations between still water and wisdom, clarity, and contemplative depth, while the processional spatial organization establishes the crossing of threshold as ritual passage from ordinary to extraordinary experience.
The project goal was to create a hotel in harmony with nature. The inspiration comes from the scenery of Yuxi, such as raindrops, cooking smoke, and clouds in the mountains. Using water as a medium to depict the colors of the panorama of Yuxi also adds a symbolic memory point to the hotel. The concept of artistic conception and imagery in Chinese painting is applied to the space, which is simple and elegant, reflecting the rich oriental beauty. While admiring the beautiful scenery, it also enables those gathered here to rediscover and define the relationship between human and nature.