As a native of Suzhou, Zhang Haihua saw the project as a captivating opportunity to craft a contemporary aesthetic for a hotel in the old city. He carefully considered the unique spatial, social, and historical context of the project, leading to a design that is both innovative and deeply rooted in the city's heritage.

When you look at a map of Suzhou, its unique urban layout becomes evident - water intertwines ubiquitously throughout the city, with its canals providing an additional layer of urban circulation: 'people here can walk through the streets or cross the city by boat'. Over the years, many picturesque neighbourhoods have been created, such as the 'Fishermen's Quarter' in the Taihu Lake basin, where writers and painters traditionally lived and built modest houses by the water. People caught fish in the river could immediately sell it to residents through their windows. Zhang Haihua remembers buying vegetables when he was young, taking a basket and setting off in a boat.
Navigation on the canals, an essential means of transport in old Suzhou, was a reference point for the hotel's design. Zhang envisaged an informal lounge area on one side of the lobby, slightly lower than the main floor. In doing so, he recalls the traditional height one would have when observing the city from a boat while simultaneously creating an intimate relationship with the landscape of the outdoor courtyard.

Zhang's design for the courtyard space is a testament to his deep connection with the local culture and nature. By metaphorically referencing the natural elements of the Taihu Lake basin, as described by ancient writers, he has created a space that resonates with the hotel's surroundings and the city's rich history.

A small hill was formed at the back of the courtyard, which slopes down towards the building, merging its level with the ground level of the interior. A Chinese tallow tree has been placed near the top of the hill, with a wooden decking area at its base. Seven tea trees are also planted along the courtyard, allowing fresh tea leaf collection in spring and autumn. Local stones have been laid in the moss that covers the earth and in the water, which numerous small fish inhabit. A set of stairs merges with the terrain, forming a metaphorical walk through the mountain, inspired by the writings of authors from the Jiangnan era.

In all the hotel's public spaces, Zhang drew inspiration from the tall, narrow streets of the old city of Suzhou. Their dramatic scale left a strong impression on the designer's memory, with its bold shadows and filtered light. Zhang, therefore, reinterpreted aspects of its proportions and visual impact in the hotel.

The main objective was to create a contemporary hotel that also evoked the feeling of traditional life and aesthetics south of the Yangtze River, referring to the tactile materiality of its buildings and their proximity to the beauty of the natural environment. In Zhang's opinion, Jiangnan's architecture is unique in that it effortlessly connects interior spaces with the surrounding nature and achieves an elegant unity in function, spirit, time, and use. Zhang Haihua wanted to capture the original architecture's scale and materiality and the ancient city's unique atmosphere, with its long shadows, narrow alleyways and a strange sense of travelling back in time.