Inspired By Tradition, The Boat Rooms Of The Fuchun River
- Name
- Design Institute of Landscape and Architecture China Academy
- Project
- Boat Rooms
- Photographer
- Aoguan Performance of Architecture
- Words
- Rosie Flanagan
The Fuchun River in China feeds into a small lake nestled beneath the mountains. Here, you will find a selection of wooden houses designed by the Design Institute of Landscape and Architecture China Academy that appear to float on the water.
Inspired by local-custom, these “boat rooms” are part of a larger hotel complex called the Fuchun New Century Wonderland Resort. Spread over fifty square meters, the construction of each of the buildings mimics that of traditional fishing boats. The architects explain, “For several hundred years between the earlier Ming dynasty and the middle Qing, a water tribe…had resided at the riverside and created a unique culture. The five boat rooms recline among the trees and two-thirds of their body floats above the lake.” Constructed primarily of glass and wood, there is something boat-like to these floating houses. “The boat room is designed with a timber structure,” the architects explain, “for the purpose of satisfying the onsite conditions and inheriting the traditional awning boat of the same origin.” Large windows and a skylight that runs the full length of each “boat room” offer immense light, and views beyond the balcony and across the water.
“The five boat rooms recline among the trees and two-thirds of their body floats above the lake.”
All images © Aoguan Performance of Architecture
