2013 BOY Winner: Gallery/Museum

Catapulted onto the international tourist map in 1974, after farmers dug up an army of terra-cotta figures nearby, this former capital city boasts 3,100 years of recorded history. And right across the street from the towering Giant Wild Goose pagoda, a Buddhist landmark from the Tang dynasty, 652 AD, is a luxurious new place for those tourists to stay. This 329-room hotel by Interior Design Hall of Fame inductees Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu furthermore nods to local history at several significant points. Take the overhanging eaves, sloped like those of pagodas, and the facade, recalling the ancient city walls.

Mural fragments from the region are housed in a dedicated museum at the hotel. Wide stairs sweep down two levels through its central courtyard to terminate beneath a canopy of teak slats, marking the museum entry. Inside the 41,000-square-foot space, the backlit walls and ceilings keep the mood contemporary, while climate-controlled wall-hung cases protect the art. 

Project Team:
Mariarosa Doardo; Briar Hickling; Joy Qiao; Willow Zhang; Eva Wieland; Qi Xiaofeng; Amy Hu; Candice-Lee Browne; Kevin Azanger; Alena Fabila.