DI: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
: The blank is one of the most important forms of beauty in the composition of Chinese paintings — do not pursue the integrity of objective objects like natural attributes, but only the communication of subjective spirit through original ecology, environmental protection, texture, and nature. The spatial block relationship is closely related to light — quiet, rustic light.
DI: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
: When we are in the midst of a busy urban business trip, we will inevitably be physically and mentally exhausted. If there is a place to relax and calm the soul, it will also be an escape from our exploration — to reveal the state of mind that hides the mind — and let the guests walk in the tranquillity of the city. When designing, it is necessary to have space between functions and to make the vision transparent. Therefore, we adopted the layout of the Chinese courtyard, which perfectly combines these.
DI: What are your future plans for this award winning design?
: Will continue to participate in the competition, so that people around the world to see the project.
DI: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?
: Generally, customers trust our intuition and judgment, and are directly entrusted by customers to design with full power. As the person in charge of this project, I personally want to let guests experience and feel something from the design.
DI: Who is the target customer for his design?
: Business reception, travel and vacation, family and children
DI: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?
: I believe the most outstanding and innovative part of the project was not to pile up elements, with minimalism being an interpretation of Chinese traditional culture. This was done by borrowing some of the traditional techniques from ink painting; the composition of a painting, the arrangement of all objects and lines needs to be dense, as is the architecture. This was the way to break the stereotypical, sluggish landscape image caused by the flat and uniform, in order to create a beautiful, rhythmic and flexible artistic effect.
DI: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?
: Shang Ju, which means "comfortable place to live" in Chinese, wants people to feel the same atmosphere when they first see her.
DI: What is the most unique aspect of your design?
: The design process involved early survey and analysis of the environment of the hotel and research on local cultural features. These were then applied to the hotel design, bringing unique charm and competitiveness to the hotel. This well-designed composition also doubles the charm of the lighting, with much thought from the designer given to each light and shade.
DI: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?
: There was very little time to complete the survey, with the design and construction happening at the same time. Efficient communication and mutual trust were key to the success of the project, overcoming the challenges presented.
DI: How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?
: After a period of understanding on the competition website, I deeply felt the charm of the competition. The page pictures on the website were beautiful, and the rules and fees of the competition made people feel friendly.
DI: What did you learn or how did you improve yourself during the designing of this work?
: I think in our career, in addition to doing some business projects, it will be more meaningful to participate in social projects. Otherwise, our career can only make the world look better, better looking and more useful. That’s all. Here I want to quote a famous saying. “We don’t ask to be eternal beings, we only ask that things do not lose all their meaning.” — Antoine De Saint Exupéry