QuShuiShanWan Boat Dock B&B

Loaded with a boatload of autumn color, spreading ten li of lake light; the water god keeps me to watch the setting sun, rippling fine waves, wrote Zhang Xiaoxiang. The Boat Dock Homestay sits in Shanwan Village, Wujiang District, Suzhou, forming the Qushui Shanwan rural-revitalization demonstration zone together with the Shuishanju Restaurant. The Huanzhongjiadang area is a model beautiful-Wujiang rural zone and a pioneer of the Yangtze River Delta ecological green integrated development zone, with rural-revitalization programs led by agriculture, culture and tourism since 2020. The Boat Dock is goa's second project here, meeting dining and lodging needs; together with the restaurant it forms the village entrance cluster, the first stop for visitors and a future public living room for villagers. The natural waterfront on the south side evokes the clustered boats of Jiangnan water towns. Fragrant green water and slow-sailed boats are every water-town resident's childhood memory, so the architects take the awning boat as the starting point, translating its arched canopy into arched roof volumes. The arches offer unique views while adding new geometric elements to the flat rural skyline; when boats gather, stories of prosperity begin. Like boats moored at the shore, the homestay is a destination for visitors, giving them local experience; warm lanterns under clustered canopies are a warm return for wandering travelers. The restaurant on the first floor water level occupies the best view, sunk 0.3 meters below water level so visitors feel inside an awning boat carrying old memories. The whole building comprises reception, restaurant and guest rooms; the entry arch is largest, pointing toward the water as the overture. Two other multi-directional arched volumes sit on either side, divided by courtyards into front and back, housing restaurant and guest rooms. The ascending path to the second floor, with its strengthening arch, preludes the vast plain wetland; each guest room has its own arch roof. At the intersection of village and nature, walking through the homestay, one moves farther from urban routine and closer to nature.