Pan Pacific Suzhou, Suzhou, China
Pan Pacific Suzhou is a 5-star business hotel comprising of 484 guest rooms, comprehensive business centre facilities of meeting and conference rooms, recreational facilities such as indoor and outdoor swimming pools, complete with an extensive lush landscaping that weaves through the architecture and forms one of the key design features of the hotel design.
With the scale and design of the development being sensitive to its historically rich environment, Pan Pacific Suzhou is designed to complement and emulate the existing urban fabric and architectural beauty of Suzhou city, fondly known as the “Venice of the East”.
Completed in 3 phases (Phase 1 in 1998; Phase 2 in 2004; Phase 3 in 2008), Pan Pacific Suzhou is located in the Ping Jiang District that covers an area of approximately 25.2 kilometers square , where numerous historical scenic spots, such as the Cheng Wai He (city outer moat), Gui Hua Yuan (Gui Hua Park), Pan Men Scenic Park and Rui Guang Pagoda are situated.
Being located directly adjacent to the famous Pan Men scenic garden where the 2,500 years old conserved Rui Guang Pagoda (Pagoda of the Auspicious Light) is located, Pan Pacific Suzhou is designed and built with great meticulous care in respecting the significance of its existing environment and integrating the old and new elements of the urban fabric.
The business and development planning, together with the master planning and design conceptualization, are carefully and strategically coordinated to ensure that the development of Pan Pacific Suzhou would positively enhance the ambience and atmosphere of its surroundings by rejuvenating the business, social and tourism community within the vicinity.
Careful decisions are exercised on design fundamentals such as the design concept, master planning, proportion & scale, and materials of the development. By means of weaving landscape and waterscape, inspired by the rich networks of canals in Suzhou, through the courtyard gardens around which the guest rooms are configured, and choreography of views aligned from the interior spaces towards the external surroundings, the master planning of Pan Pacific Suzhou aims to integrate the hotel design sensitively into the larger contexts of its environment.
By cleverly deploying the traditional courtyard concept, most guestrooms enjoy exclusive open-to-sky garden offering maximum privacy, daylight and fresh air. Not only does it present a private and serene environment for guests, it also increases the sense of depth for the guest room by bringing the landscape visually into the room and hence increasing its spaciousness. The top-floor suites are welcomed by a generous courtyard garden at the entrance connected to the living room; the mezzanine-floor bedroom is complete with open-air jaccuzi on a cantilevered pavilion overlooking the scenic courtyard.
The building facade design of Pan Pacific Suzhou is a modern re-interpretation of Suzhou traditional architecture, particularly emulating the heritage of the 2,500 years old ancient wall of Suzhou, part of which is still standing today. Hence the traditional scale, proportion and motifs are kept intact with a modern touch to the clean lines and simplicity in details. Local finishing materials and fittings are used, such as the beige granite and dark clay bricks, roof tiles with ornamental ridges and drips, handcrafted timber screens, cast iron grilles and copper gratings. The color palette of both the exterior facades and interior spaces are also inspired by the traditional colors of vernacular architecture such as the dark red wood, dark grey clay roof tiles and pristine white plaster.
The design of public spaces skillfully demonstrated the traditional spatial hierarchy and sense of proportion. The overall result is a stunning contemporary design embodied with the richness of traditional Chinese Architecture; the experience encapsulates the spirit of Suzhou’s deep-rooted culture and is memorably poetic.