Cloud Mountain Resort is an amalgamation of accomodation, villa, and clubhouse located at the foot of BaiYunShan, Zhumadian in Henan Province, China. The place is known for formation of clouds after rain in the valley and villagers from the neighborhood come to pray for rain. The resort is designed by Way Studio which is an innovation design studio combining architecture with art and technology.
As the studio always delves into creating possibilities through cross-disciplinary combination, The club mountain resort is an approach to create a balanced lifestyle interwoven with local culture and nature of the local community. The project has five varying typologies of vacation homes differentiated by design elements. A major river running through the site splits it into two halves and a hotel is located at the split.
The clubhouse is another part of the design located at the southernmost point of the site. It is symbolic of the gateway to the whole project and serves the purpose of vehicle exchange to provide an environmentally friendly zone indoors. The visitors are welcomed to Cloud Mountain resort with ample waterfalls flowing out from the clubhouse. The form is similar to undulating mountains and its positioning draws inspiration from traditional ink stone. A stream from the river guides through the building and the whole form is anchored onto the river.
Moving further on the site, sits the cloud hotel at the river fork and the two forks further leads to two sequestered residential areas. The form of the hotel is inspired from the stacked clouds seen sometimes in the valley during the rainy season that is barely experienced. It has a three sided orientation and is guided by the river valley. The site is further reamed to house five different types of villas or duplexes scattered throughout. Every unit has access to waterbody and scenic views for a unique experience to every visitor simultaneously ensuring their privacy. The design of every unit concerns different family types and is designed to cater their respective needs.
The design is intertwined with the existing natural scenery and trails that gradually increase the outreach from the site. The playful arrangement of forms with existing water bodies creates an interesting and intriguing retreat for the visitors.
Fact sheet
Project Name: Cloud Mountain Resort
Location: Henan, China
Firm name: Way Studio
DesignTeam: Tao Zheng, Fernie Lai, Dan Luo, Weiqi Yan, Weiwei LiuImage Credits: Way Studio
