Zhejiang, China
Designed by Atelier Tao+C, Capsule Hotel and Bookstore in Village Qinglongwu is located in the deep forests of Tonglu in Zhejiang province.
Qinglongwu is an ancient village named after a stream passing through.
Atelier tao+c redesigned and regenerated this 232sqm old building by inserting a capsule hotel that can accommodate 20 people, a community bookstore and library into the 7.2-meter high two-stories space.
The biggest challenge to the architects, and the key to the design, is to ensure the privacy of the accommodation area while giving openness and continuity to the public areas within such a compact space.
The architects made restrained openings on the exterior wall to maintain the original simplicity of the building.
The original floors and partition walls were removed, opened the ground floor for a library, placed two independent “floating” structures above the open spaces, which will be used separately for male and female guests. Each of the male and female “buildings” is equipped with ten capsule rooms and one bathroom.
The modular capsule rooms are hidden and enclosed by bookshelves, giving more privacy to the accommodation area. At the same time, the staggering floor slabs formed a few “double height” spaces in the accommodation areas, it is also where people’s point of sight is above the floor height.
Given the amazing natural landscape at the east end of the building, the architect cut the whole gable wall on this side and embedded a transparent structure of wooden frames and corrugated polycarbonate panels, introducing the green of the mountains and forests into the interior.
At twilight, the whole building is illuminated by the light from the indoor, and the building itself becomes a light house, offering a slice of warmth to the calmness of the night.
Project: Atelier Tao+C Capsule Hotel and Bookstore in Village Qinglongwu
Architects: Atelier Tao+C
Client: Private
Photographers: Shengliang Su, Ben Soon, Siyu Chen, Fengyu Zhu
