Hezhitang Hot Spring / A-ASTERISK

Architects: A-ASTERISK
Location: Qiqihaer, Heilongjiang, China
Lead Architect: Nakamura Nobuhiro
Design Team: Nakamura Nobuhiro, Yi Qin, Shigeno Yuji, Jie Lai, Wenping Wang, Zengcai He
Site Area: 169140 sqm
Height: 17.035 m
Area: 11357.0 m2
Project Year: 2014
Photographs: HIROMATSU Misae

Construction Drawing: Changzheng Dong, Yuting Chang, Shaohua Zhang, Ping Lin, Youfen Jiao, Huijie Wang
Interior Design: Nakamura Nobuhiro, Yi Qin, Shigeno Yuji, Jie Lai, Wenping Wang, Zengcai He / KANEMITSU HIROSHI DESIGN OFFICE(KANEMITSU Hiroshi) / SEA BASS(SUZUKI Chiho)
Landscape Design: Nakamura Nobuhiro, Yi Qin, Shigeno Yuji, Jie Lai, Wenping Wang, Zengcai He uji design（MAEDA Yutaka）
Signage Design: uji design(MAEDA Yutaka)
Lighting Design: Bonbori lighting architect and associates(KAKUDATE Masahide, NOZAWA Jun’ichiro)
Client: Mingdao group

Text description provided by the architects. We have designed hot spring facility with an accommodation complex called Hezhitang (meaning “crane hot spring”. Qiqihaer’s crane is famous in China) in Qiqihaer, Heilongjiang province, China. The project is close to Russian border near the great wetland called Zhalong where may tourists come to see migrated white cranes. The facility can accommodate 850 people at once and 2,000 visitors per day. Our main design considerations are as following.

Feeling of Security
The project is located in the severe environment in a snowfield stretched as far as the eye could see. Often the temperature here drops minus 40 degree Celsius. It is not a convenient metropolitan city, nor in topography of hills and valleys. Visitors are fascinated with the extraordinary nature in the beginning of travel, but the unusual scenery can make them feel desolate. We wanted to design the building to embrace visitors with feeling of security and relaxation. The powerful straighten volume of façade in black shows the presence in the white field to warmly welcome visitors.

Unity with the Wetland
In order to create a sense of unity to the Zhalong wetland, we have created horizontal tube shape as main spaces with the windows facing to the outside. After the long travel, the visitors arrive to this facility under diffusions of consciousness because of infinity view of horizon. We are showing the scenery of wetland through the tube architecture instead of showing it off directly so that it provides human-scale impression and sense of harmony to the visitors.

Visitor Experience
This hot spring bath facility is for people to enjoy unexpected experience far away from ordinal life. We wanted to give visitors surprises and delighted feelings as a journey in the building. In order to create the journey, we have emphasized differences of design elements. A sense of horizontal line connected to the wetland and black material at entrance hall provides excitement while visitors are checking-in. Then intentionally lowered ceiling at corridor makes visitors to calm. Then finally visitors are surrounded with hot spring bath with a strong sense of connection to the enormous wetland. We believe our architecture provides a sequence of unusual experience.

Efficient Management
Since the facility is built in inconvenient location, it is difficult to find sufficient number of staff. In order to minimise necessity of manpower, efficient circulation plan was carefully considered. There are three pillars of management: total management, cleaning/concierge and F&B. Typically these types of management requires individual entries, however we have made them located at backyard on North East corner so that they can be well connected and easy for cars to access. Also linen supply, which is one of the most complicated tasks for public bath operation, can be easily accessed from both men’s and women’s changing rooms.