Platinum Hospitality, Recreation, Travel and Tourism Design · 2025
Deer Chaser Yuchi Resort
by Chi Wei Shih
- A' Design Award 2025 Platinum Winner in Hospitality, Recreation, Travel and Tourism Design
- Awarded April 15, 2025
- CLIENT: S.c.a.a
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 1,091,323
- Verification code 954880EB43 · Verify this award
About Deer Chaser Yuchi Resort
Deer Chaser Yuchi is a resort in Nantou, Taiwan, covering about 1720 square meters. The design departs from the standard hostel model by using local culture and landscape. Communal areas draw on the inner court of the traditional Taiwanese farmhouse and the image of people gathering under a tree. Outdoor bathing spaces and floor-to-ceiling windows bring guests closer to nature. Interconnected private courtyards encourage interaction among guests. Construction uses concrete load-bearing wall panels, transparent partitions and a steel framed tree house.
Deer Chaser Yuchi Resort by Chi Wei Shih emerges from the contemporary discourse surrounding biophilic hospitality architecture, representing a sophisticated meditation on the tension between constructed geometry and organic landscape that has animated architectural practice since the mid-twentieth century, the work appears to engage thoughtfully with traditions established by figures working in tropical modernism while asserting a distinctly contemporary material vocabulary, the compositional strategy demonstrates remarkable spatial intelligence in its deployment of the vertical concrete tower as anchoring element from which the series of cantilevered guest pavilions extend in rhythmic procession, this arrangement suggests careful consideration of prospect and refuge theory wherein elevated vantage points offer psychological comfort through commanding views while the intimate scale of individual pods provides sheltering enclosure, the material palette reveals nuanced understanding of weathering and patination as aesthetic assets rather than deterioration, the bronze and copper tones of the suspended volumes appearing to have been selected precisely for their capacity to develop rich surface character over time, creating living facades that respond to climate and atmosphere, the board-formed concrete of the central mass demonstrates the technique's capacity to impart warmth and tactility to what might otherwise read as cold industrial material, the horizontal formwork striations creating subtle shadow lines that animate the surface throughout the day's changing light conditions, the landscape integration merits particular attention as the architecture neither dominates nor retreats from its setting but rather establishes genuine dialogue with tropical plantings and water features that soften edges and provide chromatic complement, viewers might contemplate how this resort typology proposes an alternative to the hermetically sealed environments that have characterized much hospitality development, instead celebrating porosity and connection between interior refuge and exterior paradise.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- This project concept of the more local, the more international aims to depart from the conventional hostel model by incorporating the distinct local characteristics and culture. Its objective is strengthening the connection between people and nature and people and people.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The project is around 1720 square meters.
- Tags
- Tourism, Design, Resort, Glamping, Style
- Production Technology
- This distinctive approach not only pays homage to cultural traditions but also challenges conventional design standards, presenting a rejuvenating and immersive travel experience in Taiwan. Open and independent private common area for cohesion, wandering, and exploration.
- Design Challenge
- It also includes interconnected private courtyards to encourage interaction among guests, fostering a sense of community. The structural engineering aspects feature concrete load-bearing wall panels, transparent partitions, and a steel framed tree house, presenting significant engineering challenges.
- Project Duration
- The project was finallzied in Nantou, Taiwan, in February, 2023
- Operation Flow
- Situated near a natural river, the project draws inspiration from its surroundings. To ensure the hostel harmonizes with the natural setting, the design integrates the principles of water gathering and bald cypress boulevard.
- Research
- The project focuses on the concept of wild luxury, aiming to differentiate itself from typical hostels in Taiwan by incorporating outdoor bathing spaces and large floor-to-ceiling windows to bring travelers closer to nature.
- Inspiration
- The project goal is to establish an innovative hotel concept in response to the growing appeal of Glamping. It emphasizes the notion of living in harmony with nature and nurturing human connections. The design integrates elements from traditional communal spaces in Taiwan, drawing inspiration from the inner court of traditional farmhouse and the imagery of people congregating beneath a tree to delineate its communal areas.
- Image Credits
- S.C.A.A, 2025
- Patents
- Copyrights belong to S.C.A.A, 2025