Wutopia Lab has created a homestay in Xiyaotou Village, China.

Building 3 for Fortune Art Homestay was completed at the end of June 2021. It confronts the identity of guests as strangers in the village and expresses it through architecture as a simple and direct gesture in recognition and respect of the ever-present gap between villagers and visitors. The inspiration came from Magritte's surrealist painting Le Calcul Mental.

The former dwellings in Xiyaotou Village were surrounded by continuous walls. Building on this idea, the design raises the wall to a greater height to create an enclosed environment and a sense of self-preservation for those both within and beyond the building to create an image of complete independence.

By breaking conventional thinking in this way, the design places locals and strangers on equal footing.

This project has been longlisted in the hospitality building category of Dezeen Awards 2022.

Architect: Wutopia Lab

Project: Building 3 for Fortune Art Homestay in Xiyaotou Village

Read more: Wutopia Lab