Tianjin Binhai Lake Resort
Binhai is a place of water. Like the Ying and Yang, land and water share the landscape equally, creating a balance in the environment. The water and land forms are organic in their shapes, occupying a horizontal plane that blurs into the horizon. It is this mystical quality that has inspired our proposal for the Tianjin Binhai Lake Resort.
Location
Binhai, China
Client
Homemain Holdings
Area
26,000 m²
Status
Proposed
Concept
Silently it rests, this palace of the water sits as an exquisite object amongst the calm waters of the lake. It appears not as a building – but as a beautiful object that belies the space within…an experience reserved for the privileged, the special person seeking an authentic cultural experience.
The resort engages with the natural setting by its placement at the land and water junction…a floating building…a precious object floating on reflective water.
The building that occupies water has many famous precedents – Suzhou Gardens, the floating palace of Udaipur,.. and of course, Venice. The venerated mystique of these buildings that are held over water is re-created at Binhai Lake – a magical destination, and continues the old tradition of creating places of reflection and serenity through the use of water.
The palace consists of a stone base of locally quarried stone unique to the region. The base appears as if it has always resided in this place. Perched above, the suites are framed by timber and copper – interwoven with landscape. Internally, the resort recreates the tradition of the Chinese garden as a contemporary idea that celebrates the diversity of the Chinese landscape and its seasons. At night the building glows and reflects itself on the calm waters of Binhai Lake. Waterscapes are placed in the lake itself, turning the entire landscape into a work of art.
