A simple pencil sketch by the architect at the start of this project demonstrated a clear and powerful response to the brief for a 162 room hotel, 40 seaside villas, a retail mall, chapel and jetty.

The site is a granite peninsula connected to the low cliffs of the mainland and located near the famous port and resort city of Qingdao in China.

The Hotel became the organising element and fulcrum on the site. Cleverly merged below the cliffs in a strong stone base are all the public functions; arrival, retail, restaurants, spa, banqueting hall and club protected from the harsh north westerlies and open to panoramic views towards the water and the southern sun.

Seen however from the coastal road the building appears as low rise with open courtyards and avenues that offer vistas of the ocean and Qingdao beyond.

The blocks of guest rooms have been organised into large copper clad boxes sitting atop the stone base recalling the scale and texture of the former container terminals in the area.

40 villas stretch out over the granite peninsula connected via a central avenue symbolically linking the Hotel to the Chapel, the corporeal to the spiritual.

The villas are positioned to enjoy the uninterrupted sea views, to absorb the morning and evening sunlight and are reminiscent of a coastal village braced against the elements and facing out to the sun.

Perforated masonry walls separate the Villas providing privacy and wind protection and creating a play of light throughout the day and over the changing seasons.

A landscape of natural sea grasses and local trees combined with retained natural rock pools used for summer bathing complete the development.

From the first conceptual sketch, to the organisation of form, to the final details, this project demonstrates a consistent and refined architectural discipline and a deep understanding of its place in the cultural and physical milieu of Qingdao.