Neri&Hu has completed a wellness hotel on China’s Hainan Island. Named the Sanya Wellness Retreat, the scheme draws inspiration from the ancient Chinese walled city, which was typically elevated on a heavy plinth and surrounded by water. The resulting hotel is defined by two parts: a wooden dwelling comprising guest rooms and a masonry base beneath containing all public spaces.

The L-shaped building forms a water courtyard at the intersection of the two wings, serving a central feature from which all the hotel’s public amenities spread outwards. Meanwhile, the lobby forms a “garden landscape with a floating lantern hovering above that allows a gentle light to filter in,” while ceilings are lowered to frame views towards the sea.

“At every given opportunity, the design tries to embody the genius loci of Hainan, to blend elements from the island’s collective memory, culture, and natural features,” the designers explain. “Tapping into local craftsmanship, the masonry walls which envelop the lower levels are clad with handmade clay bricks, while the fabrics and rugs are inspired by textile arts of the Li minority tribe.”

“The technique of soaking and pressing bamboo is also employed as a building material, with woven rattan and yellow bronze accents to enhance the layers of the project,” the designers add.

The guest rooms see each unit conceived as an individual wooden hut containing functional amenities such as washrooms. In the negative space between the wooden boxes sit the sleeping and leisure zones, including ocean-facing balconies. Outside, a combination of angled walls, textured materials, and an alternating rhythm between solid and void, all combine to create a facade “constantly playing with light and shadow.”

News of the scheme comes weeks after our editorial covered the addition of a rippling landscape to a Neri&Hu-designed hotel in Zhengzhou, and months after the firm’s co-founder Rossana Hu was appointed chair of the University of Pennsylvania’s Stuart Weitzman School of Design. The firm also recently featured in our roundup of ten mesmerizing cafes to mark International Coffee Day.