Dongshan West Bay Resort

Dongshan Island, located at a crucial coastal crossroads in southern Fujian, has long been a hub for thriving aquaculture. The Dongshan West Bay Resort is sited on a decommissioned pier once home to Qianlou Town's historic fishery center. The project re-imagines the former site of fishing warehouses as a coastal sanctuary, immersing its guests in the maritime geography and the panoramic seascape of southern Fujian. As Dongshan Island’s first diving-themed resort, the project is a cornerstone of the fishing town’s revitalization, pioneering a 'tourism + sports' model that diversifies the local economy beyond its traditional roots.

The design navigates the challenge of a compact site by arranging two L-shaped volumes that shelter a central gathering courtyard from harsh summer afternoon sun and prevailing hibernal winds. Thirty-one suites line the southwest coastline, offering panoramic views of the sea and sunset. To the northeast, a nautical-themed commercial arcade animates the street front, seamlessly weaving the project into the village's commercial and social fabric.

Departing from the conventional practice of seafront privatization, the hotel’s multi-tiered, open-air viewing platforms cascade down towards the ocean, adjoined by a peripheral public boardwalk. These civic gestures invite both residents and visitors to share access to the sun-setting coastline, redefining the relationship between the hotel and the surrounding community.

Architecturally, the building draws inspiration from the seascape’s rhythmic forms. A ground-floor arcade, reminiscent of the island’s famed sea-eroded caves, frames views of the ocean. Curvilinear triangles punctuate the hotel corridor walls, filtering light and directing gazes towards local mountain ranges, while the undulating skyline and balconies mirror Pacific tides. A 24-meter diving tower anchors the northeastern edge, clad in rippling perforated aluminum panels, dissolving the mass of the concrete structure beneath. Elongated oculus windows, reminiscent of submarine portholes, frame the horizon.

More than a hotel, the resort is a tectonic interface between land and sea. It reimagines a dormant coastline as a public haven and a new gateway for ecological tourism, channeling southern Fujian’s geography into an architectural experience.