line+NEWS
On October 26, the AIA International Design Awards ceremony took place at the top-floor banquet hall of The Henderson, a new Hong Kong landmark. line+’s projects, Woven Passage to Cloudy Peaks and Guangzhou Ji Yun Yao Resorts, received the Commendation for Urban Design for their thoughtful integration with the natural environment and innovative approach. These accolades reflect the jury’s high regard for their design excellence. line+ attended the event, joining architects, scholars, and other distinguished guests to celebrate this architectural achievement.
Having been honored with the AIA Shanghai Design Award three times, line+ has once again received this distinguished accolade, presented by the highly authoritative and influential International Architecture Association. This recognition not only acknowledges line+'s continuous exploration and innovation within architectural design but also serves as a significant encouragement for our endeavors to generate greater cultural, ecological, and social value through architecture, particularly in the context of complex societal challenges and the rapid pace of urbanization.
During the 2024 AIA International Conference held alongside the awards, line+ Co-Founder and Chief Architect Zhu Peidong engaged in an in-depth discussion with AIA President Kimberly Dowdell. Additionally, Silas Chiow, Director of the AIA International Chapter, Founder and former President of AIA Shanghai, delivered a keynote address titled “A Changing China is Changing Our Profession” at the seminar forum. In his speech, he specifically highlighted line+'s international practice, offering high praise for their design work and underscoring it as a powerful reflection of China's growing influence in global design innovation.
The AIA International Design Awards, established in 2014 and hosted by the International Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), aims to honor design works that exemplify excellence, innovative thinking, and best practices on a global scale. The award particularly recognizes projects that demonstrate a combination of innovation, cultural sensitivity, and site adaptability, while also emphasizing the importance of sustainability and social responsibility.
The AIA International Design Awards is an annual event where entries are rigorously assessed by an expert panel based on criteria such as design creativity, the balance between functionality and aesthetics, sustainability, and a profound understanding of culture. As a key international accolade in the architectural field, the awards provide a platform for architects, scholars, and industry leaders from around the world to showcase their work, promote the dissemination of cutting-edge design concepts, and advance the values of health, inclusivity, and environmental responsibility in architecture. The 2024 jury is composed of several leading figures from the global architecture industry, including:
"Revitalizing and developing rural scenic areas requires a foundation in historical heritage and natural landscapes, while also embracing bold, future-oriented imagination and vitality."
——Zhu Pe
The Woven Passage to Cloudy Peaks is located in Xiayanbei Village, Xinchang, Zhejiang. It serves both as the entrance to a rural scenic area and as infrastructure for ecological restoration. The tunnel design, while meeting the clearance requirements for large engineering vehicles, adapts its top scale to align with the natural topography. The design incorporates tiered landscape retaining walls, seamlessly connecting and filling in the original slopes. The use of natural, locally sourced materials allows for sustainable construction that harmonizes with the surrounding environment.
The exterior is clad in locally sourced black natural slate, allowing the structure to blend into the tea fields and woodlands. The interior skin integrates the structural framework with decorative elements, inspired by local intangible cultural heritage, particularly the tradition of bamboo weaving. Through the use of modern digital fabrication methods, this approach not only honors but also advances the cultural memory of the region, creating a dialogue between tradition and contemporary design.
The jury appreciates the geometric tectonics of the structure and the impact weaving into the landscape. The project serves as a literal and experiential gateway, reframing its context. The jury confers a Commendation to Woven Passage to Cloudy Peaks for excellence in Urban Design.
"Our goal is not to ‘save’ the countryside but to reimagine it in a form that resonates with contemporary life. By doing so, we restore its core identity as a home place of sanctuary and spiritual solace."
——Meng Fanhao
Ji Yun Yao is located in Yaoshan She Village, Longxin, Conghua, Guangzhou, and aims to reconstruct a spiritual retreat away from the urban hustle, nestled within the natural landscape. By analyzing the layered mountain terrain and Hakka culture, the design adopts a strategy of "immersing in nature, returning to the settlement," establishing a hierarchical relationship between the individual units, clusters, and the overall settlement. The guest rooms are strategically positioned at varying elevations, allowing for different scenic views.
The individual guest room units feature two distinct roof forms: gentle sloped roofs and steeply pitched roofs. This design not only enriches the courtyard typology within the site but also offers a differentiated lodging experience. The scattered layout of the guest rooms is linked by landscape activity platforms at different levels, creating flexible entry flow lines. The result is an organic master plan that seamlessly integrates with the surrounding environment. The interplay of mountains, village, old houses, and terraced fields together forms a dynamic and living hotel ecosystem.
The jury recognizes the project’s visible respect for the land and topography in the way it seamlessly blends into the surroundings. They specifically commend this sensitive approach to siting which preserves a disappearing traditional landscape in its gentle locating of architecture elements in context. The jury confers a Commendation to Guangzhou Ji Yun Yao Resorts for excellence in Urban Design.
