The Sanya EDITION: “Under the Tree” Beach Club

EDITION, a MARRIOTT-affiliated premium boutique hotel brand, entrusted Various Associates to refurbish the beach club of its first hotel opened in China, known as The Sanya EDITION – a luxurious hotel with a stunning sea view that is situated in the picturesque Haitang Bay. Together with natural coconut groves, it creates a strong vibe unique to Hainan and brings unprecedented leisure experience for the guests. As every EDITION hotel embraces the local environment, they are distinguished from each other while all sharing an iconic brand identity. Rich flora, textured materials in unique colours, and subtle lighting characterise The Sanya EDITION’s aesthetics.

As Various Associates took on the project, the primary consideration was creating a tasteful, cosy and relaxing venue for socialising while incorporating the inviting natural landscape of Sanya and the aesthetics of EDITION into the design. New structures blend with existing landscapes and protected trees on the site, echoing the expansive, azure Haitang Bay and accompanying coconut groves. The beach club “grows” from a site enclosed by the existing plants, which are the soul of the new space.

The hotel sought creative design strategies, with the hope to refresh and uplift the serene, slightly deserted outdoor beach area whilst introducing young, fashionable lifestyle and socialising activities, so as to turn it into a landmark in Haitang Bay and even in the wider city.

The renewed beach club provides a strong connection between different activity areas in the surroundings, purposefully transformed to overflow with vigour and joy. Bar goers and guests take a sunbath, while swimmers and volleyball players are not visually blocked from each other – the open space allows guests to fully immerse in myriad activities without feeling disconnected from the leisure hub. Upbeat DJs bring on music from early afternoon, which infuses vitality into the area from day to night along with diversified beach activities.

 “Under the Tree” is the design concept of the project. It communicates the design team’s desire to create a comfortable and unrestrained space, featuring seamless bamboo-woven structures consisting of five overlapping tree-like canopies with different heights and forms. Their organic and naturally curved profiles blend in perfectly with the lush nature.

Natural coconut groves and new structures are interspersed around sunken booths. The new structures are connected to the ground through their “trunks,” which naturally blend with the preserved plants. Expansive and naturally curvy “tree” canopies provide sufficient protection to the club’s guests, while the space between each canopy unintentionally brings surrounding greenery into the view.

Every “tree” canopy features a curvy form. Clustering canopy structures create genteel and uninterrupted lines, laid in a rhythmic spatial arrangement to meld with nature. Every structure is presented as an independent work of bamboo weaving, which took days of on-site work by experienced craftsmen to create visual impact.

The buildings are constructed at a lower height so that visitors can use the canopies as the ideal backdrop for pictures. A main bar counter is set up at the centre of the site in the shape of a giant trunk, so that the bartenders can better attend to the needs of guests.

New “tree” canopy structures utilise bamboo weaving craft. The design team chose natural and locally sourced materials, to represent the island city and enable the new outdoor structures to adapt to natural changes. Natural bamboo and wood build up the structures, while recycled pebble-wash creates warm, textured pavements, all of which contribute to a sustainable design project committed to environmental protection. 

Guests can enjoy drinking water in the pavilions’ unique sunken counter seating and booths. The cool breeze, light music and wine bring about a dynamic atmosphere, inviting hotel guests and tourists to engage in it. Each booth features an exclusive waterfront hammock that allows guests to fully unwind.

Tightly interwoven bamboo structures allow sunshine to penetrate through them in the daytime. When lights are turned on at night, the steel skeleton wrapped in bamboo strips, which stretch like the patterns of a leaf, reveals itself to guests and renders the canopy into a giant banana leaf when one looks up.

After the sun sets, the wonderful nightlife at the beach club begins. Light emits upwards from the “trunks” to provide an inviting glow, while the expansive canopies wrap up the light and separate it from other areas of the hotel, transforming this beach club into a nature-filled oasis that indulges its visitors all day long.

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