Bodu Resort: A Harmonious Blend of Architecture and Nature

Can Zhang's Award-Winning Design Merges Modernity with Ethnic Customs

The resort, perched on a cliff 40 meters above the ground, overlooks a vast expanse of forest, offering a unique experience that is both immersive and serene. Inspired by the rich and diverse ethnic customs of Xishuangbanna and the mild and humid climate of Southeast Asia, Zhang's design aims to create a symbiotic relationship between the hotel and its surrounding rubber and tropical rain forests.

One of the unique features of the Bodu Resort is the suspended "glass box", a design element that allows the building to extend into nature. This feature, coupled with the use of local materials such as teak and old elm, gives the resort a distinct local flavor, while also showcasing the architectural space's national color. The brick and stone bamboo weaving mechanism, commonly used in local villages, further echoes the regional culture.

The project, which covers a total of 4,000 square meters, was realized over a span of two and a half years, from May 2017 to December 2019. Despite the challenges of creating a benign interaction between architecture, interior, and nature, Zhang and his team, including Wenting Li, Yu Deng, Wenjing Liu, Shasha Mou, Zhangping Wang, Jun Tang, and Boyu Wang, managed to create a design that is both contemporary and reflective of Xishuangbanna's warm and pure ethnic customs.

The Bodu Resort project was transformed from the combination of three old buildings. The designers started from respecting the original design concept and allowed the building to hide into nature with an extended posture. In the selection of materials, they used local materials to show the local sense of the architectural space with national colors. The whole building space used teak wood and old elm wood as the main structure, as well as the brick and stone bamboo weaving mechanism commonly used in local villages, to echo the regional culture.

The Bodu Resort's design is a testament to Can Zhang's commitment to creating spaces that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also respectful of their natural surroundings. The resort's design, which was awarded the Golden A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award in 2021, is a shining example of how architecture and nature can coexist in harmony, offering guests a unique and immersive experience.