Banyan Tree Nanjing Garden Expo: Luxury Hotel on China Mines Slopes

The old mine that had been abandoned for a long time was turned into a luxury hotel. Banyan Tree Nanjing Garden Expo is the first resort in Tangshan province of Jiangsu, China. The hotel offers 115 rooms with beautiful views of the valleys and cliffs. This building seeks to revive the area to improve human relations with nature.

Banyan Tree Nanjing Garden Expo - Luxury hotel on the slopes of the mine.

The CCDarchitecture firm deconstructs and revives it by considering the natural surroundings, and functional, and design transformations that bring nature inside. In designing the interior of the CCD envisioned the realization of the hotel as a new life that ended its history. Comparing space to a 'cocoon' that symbolizes new life with a modern minimalist style. 

Banyan Tree Nanjing Garden Expo provides many panoramic views of the mountainous context.

"The limestone cliffs in the quarry looked gloomy and cracked, but the scale was amazing. Over the years, plants have quietly grown between rock layers, forming a beautiful texture on the stone cliffs in the quarry. The entire cliff of the mine looks like a natural landscape painting, which inspired the design team," CCD said. According to him, design is not just about form; being part of the natural environment is the most important thing.

Sculptural installations in the heart of the lobby bar form a flow of space.

The surrounding landscape design breathes new life into the interior of the hotel. Materials that are mostly made of natural materials, especially bamboo and natural stone are designed with visuals such as mines. The shape of the limestone cliffs on the mine was adopted to bring the exterior view into the interior of the hotel. 

Sunlight entering the interior of the hotel brings to life the textured elements of wood and stone.

The "valley of light" was created in the lobby bar with floor-to-ceiling windows of the arched space with a texture of wood and stone to make the guests as if surrounded by a natural valley. CCD considers this space to be an adventure tour, where guests can feel standing on a cliff against the backdrop of the setting sun. Minimalist wooden furniture designs decorate the space and complement the elements of the space.

Adopting a cocoon concept that adds a natural expression to the hotel interior.

Balcony winding inside a public space with a natural view.

Equipped with a restaurant, the CCD explains "The design takes from the forest elements of Tangshan Mountain." Dominated by a black and white color palette with a rough stone texture on the walls combined with the smoothness of the sofa, everything is balanced in one beautiful whole. The restaurant is described by designers as a "firefly valley" filled with artworks of interesting detail.

Banyan Tree hotel Nanjing Garden Expo room interior.

Walls with a stone and wood texture are not only applied to restaurants and lobbies. The hallways leading to the hotel rooms have also been designed with stone and wood textures that are deliberately adopted from the surrounding nature to allow the interior space to blend with nature. 

The artwork that forms the texture of the stone creates a fascinating aesthetic blend of nature and man-made.

Plan of Banyan Tree Nanjing Garden Expo.