Ulan Mod Grassland Visitor Center

Ulan Mod Grassland Volcano Hotel is located on a hillside at the entrance to the Ulan Mod Grassland Scenic Area in Hing’an League, Inner Mongolia. The building has guest rooms, restaurants, cafes, multifunctional halls, and other spaces, which provide visitors with services such as accommodation, meals, and entertainment.

Located in a cold zone and backed by a volcano, Ulan Mod Grassland is surrounded by hills, crisscrossed by rivers, and characterized by vastness and openness. The architecture, which utilizes local construction methods, is designed to be concealed within the peaceful and undulating grassland, embedded within the slope in an elongated layout. The aim is thus to regulate and mobilize the potential of the landscape and convey the atmosphere of the site by dissolving the sense of scale. The architect has adopted a dispersed layout, with the architecture scattered over six units, five of which serve as accommodation and the sixth as a reception and service center. This effectively reduces the architectural volume and makes it easier for visitors to experience the natural world. The building is partially embedded beneath the ground, with backfill from the excavated earth at the rear. Not only does this increase the sense of concealment, it also creates ditches at a distance from the building to divert rainwater from the mountain and hence protect the walls. The building has a curved shape, with a rear wall on the north side that encloses the entire structure. The walls at both ends extend outward and disappear into the site, creating a sense of harmony between the building and the environment. The curved structure guides the wind and generates a microclimate at the entrance, while also being reminiscent of Mongolian yurts on the grassland. The roof of the building is covered in greenery, with only with the front wall exposed; this integrates the artificially constructed building into nature and at the same time increases the thermal insulation and energy-saving effect. The walls are made of volcanic stones taken from the site that are used as both a contextual and a material resource. At the same time, compared with cities where night is as bright as day, volcanic stones expand the visitors’ tactile world and awaken people’s subtle feelings. The back walls are built with bagged earth masonry, which is not only a good way of disposing of the earth but also makes effective use of this local construction material. In this design, the architecture touches the land with a heavy posture and responds to the vast grassland with a humble posture.