Nestled on the North Shore of Wuhan, China, is a floating resort that offers visitors rooms opening out onto Houguan Lake, combining a nature-focused stay with proximity to the city. Wuhan Urban Construction Kaiyuan Senbo Resort offers a unique experience: the opportunity to sleep on the water. It’s the first suburban resort in Central China and has already made a name for itself with its distinctive accommodations.
The team behind the Kaiyuan Senbo Resort began with the phrase, “Exploring Nature with Love.” A central focus was to honor the local culture of Wuhan, which is fondly known as the “River City” and the “City of a Hundred Lakes.” The resulting design draws on three central motifs—mountains, water, and lotus flowers—which are woven throughout every aspect of the resort. When building the accommodations, the architectural and design team prioritized materials that embrace the natural environment, including fish-scale wood shingles and red cedar cladding. The result is an architectural concept that appears less like a new development and more like a natural extension of the landscape.
Located on 6.2 acres, the resort offers six distinctive room types, including treehouses, boathouses, and pumpkin-carriage cottages, to create an immersive, multi-tiered living experience. The effect is a village-like ecosystem of suites, all connected in their own way to the natural landscape.
The Forest Treehouses are situated among the trees, using natural timber and large windows that let visitors take in the surrounding scenery. The Pumpkin Cottages, scattered along the lake’s edge, feature whimsical, rounded rooms that create an eye-catching effect from above. In the Stargazing Cabins, skylight architecture enhances the experience, making the stars feel within reach. And in the Waterfront Boat Houses, the connection to the lake is even more immersive, with gentle waves lapping against the structure and giving guests the feeling of being rocked to sleep on a boat.
DAHLIN, the architecture firm behind the resort, is a global practice established in 1976. Founded by Doug Dahlin, the firm was originally rooted in Northern California’s homebuilding industry but has since expanded its presence across California, Washington, and the People’s Republic of China.
Nestled on the North Shore of Wuhan, China, is a floating resort that offers visitors rooms opening out onto Houguan Lake, combining a nature-focused stay with proximity to the city.
Located on 6.2 acres, the resort offers six distinctive room types.
The design draws on three central motifs—mountains, water, and lotus flowers—which are woven throughout every aspect of the resort.
Visitors to the Kaiyuan Senbo Resort become part of an immersive, tranquil retreat that celebrates Wuhan’s natural landscape while offering a memorable escape from city life.
