Lost Villa · Huanglong Island Lighthouse Hotel by WJ STUDIO: A Landmark of Island Hotel Architecture in Zhoushan

Redefining Tourism Through Island Hotel Architecture

Located in the Zhoushan Archipelago of China, the Lost Villa · Huanglong Island Lighthouse Hotel by WJ STUDIO redefines the relationship between hospitality, nature, and culture. Completed in 2025, the 5,000 m² project was led by architect Hu Zhile with interiors designed by SZ-ARCHITECTS.

The hotel responds to the geographical seclusion of Huanglong Island, which remains difficult to access despite its proximity to major cities like Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Ningbo. This remoteness, instead of being a drawback, became the defining inspiration for the project, setting the foundation for a design approach rooted in island hotel architecture.

Time as the Core Concept

The design unfolds around the three dimensions of time, weaving natural, historical, and human layers into the architectural narrative.

• Natural Time is expressed through the preservation of reefs, rocky terrain, and topographical elevations that anchor the hotel.
• Historical Time acknowledges the fishing villages and traditional life of Huanglong Island, embedding their spatial patterns into the new design.
• Human Time allows visitors to engage in deeply personal experiences where pauses, framed views, and sensory immersion shape perception.

This temporal framework ensures that the hotel is not just a place to stay, but an embodiment of the island’s evolving identity.

Architecture Shaped by Landscape and Culture

The form of the Lighthouse Hotel integrates directly with the steep mountain terrain and village scale. Built around protected reefs, the volumes are suspended on isolated foundations, reducing structural weight while creating a dynamic contrast between the smooth under-surfaces of the buildings and the rugged textures of the rocks.

The spatial rhythm follows a sequence of "hidden-peek-open," echoing the journey of moving across the island itself. Outdoor walkways descend naturally along ridges, blurring the thresholds between indoor and outdoor living.

Block A: Rocks, Light, and Immersion

At the heart of Block A is a monumental rock hall, where weathered reef stones are preserved under a protective canopy-like structure. Here, natural sunlight filters through skylights, casting shifting patterns of light across the stones. Visitors encounter the raw textures of geological time, reinforcing the dialogue between architecture and nature.

This design decision turns the building into a medium of perception, guiding visitors to experience the timeless beauty of the island landscape.

Block B: Guest Rooms and Human Scale

Block B interprets the traditional patterns of island villages. Guest rooms are arranged as three distinct volumes, oriented to capture shifting sunlight and seasonal views of the sea.

Large, clean windows frame uninterrupted views of the ocean, allowing sea breezes, waves, and light to define the sensory environment. The rooms embody the design principle of pausing time—where each gaze out of the window transforms the act of looking into an intimate, timeless moment.

Rural Revitalization Through Island Hotel Architecture

Beyond hospitality, the Lost Villa Lighthouse Hotel is a statement about rural revitalization. Huanglong Island, like many remote rural communities in China, faces depopulation and the decline of traditional livelihoods. By reinterpreting local culture, architecture, and natural landscapes into an immersive hotel experience, WJ STUDIO transforms crisis into opportunity.

Instead of erasing history with steel and glass, the design weaves memory, culture, and natural identity into a sustainable tourism model. This project offers a blueprint for how island hotel architecture can become a catalyst for ecological tourism and cultural renewal.

The Lost Villa · Huanglong Island Lighthouse Hotel by WJ STUDIO exemplifies the evolving potential of island hotel architecture. It fuses natural geology, cultural traditions, and human experience into an immersive retreat that not only provides comfort but also restores meaning to a depopulated island community. By embracing time as an architectural element, the hotel ensures that Huanglong Island remains a living landscape where memory, nature, and modern hospitality converge.