CCD / Cheng Chung Design (HK) brings a quietly contemporary sensibility to Banyan Tree Mount Emei, drawing on Mount Emei’s wooded terrain and the architectural language of Western Sichuan.
After 14 years in the making, Banyan Tree Mount Emei has opened at the foot of Mount Emei, beside the historic Baoguo Temple. Architecture is by BUZZ, while CCD / Cheng Chung Design (HK) led the interior design. The low-rise resort is set within a lakeside woodland, where seven century-old camphor trees have been retained as part of its courtyard-based plan.
The hotel takes its cues from the mountain’s forests, water and rocky terrain, as well as the pitched roofs, timber structures and inward-looking courtyards of Western Sichuan homes. Across the property, CCD translates these references into a calm, contemporary language of grey brick, natural stone, timber, rattan and carefully framed views.
This sense of place is most immediate in the guestrooms. Conceived as private sanctuaries within the landscape, they reinterpret Western Sichuan’s courtyard homes through sloping ceilings, deep eaves, timber grilles and framed openings. Timber panels, grey brick, natural stone and woven rattan form a warm, tactile backdrop, while restrained lavender accents soften the palette.
Rather than dividing each room into clearly separate functions, the layouts allow the entrance, dressing area, living space, bedroom, bathroom and terrace to flow into one another. Concealed minibars and integrated wardrobes keep visual clutter to a minimum, while long windows, doorways, niches and full-height glazing direct attention towards the courtyard or woodland beyond.
Outdoor areas are equally considered. Private soaking pools, daybeds and dining tables are set among existing planting, with stone walls, timber screens, drapery and greenery offering privacy without severing the connection to the landscape. The rooms are not designed as sealed-off cocoons, but as quiet places from which to observe the mountain setting.
That relationship with nature begins long before check-in. The resort’s architecture was planned around the existing lake, woodland, terrain and seven mature camphor trees, which informed the building footprint, circulation routes and spatial boundaries. Its low-density courtyard layout gives the project a village-like quality, rather than the feel of a single monumental hotel block.
Guests arrive along a winding route through trees, grey walls, planting and water features. Views of the courtyard, lake and mountains are released gradually through carefully positioned openings, echoing the sequence of gates, temple grounds and mountain paths found across the region.
At the centre of the lobby is a water courtyard framed by inward-facing roof eaves, recalling the enclosed spatial character of traditional Sichuan houses. The interior is largely neutral, with cinnabar and vermilion accents used sparingly. Perforated screens reinterpret traditional window lattices, while a reception backdrop references the textured bark of the preserved camphor trees. Overhead, a continuous timber-grille ceiling draws on the layered structure of Chuan-dou timber frames and local pitched roofs.
The adjacent lobby lounge looks from the water courtyard towards the lake, bringing the landscape into the interior experience. Elsewhere, the Chinese restaurant combines perforated brickwork, red glass blocks, timber framing and curved banquettes; private rooms use rounded ceilings, timber veneer and rattan to create a more intimate mood. The all-day dining restaurant opens to a bamboo grove and water feature through panoramic glazing and a terrace.
The spa takes its cues from Mount Emei’s caves, gorges and basalt formations, using stone, timber, low furniture and sheer curtains to create a cocooning atmosphere. The infinity pool appears to meet the lake outside, while Banyan Tree’s only Huizong Academy sits in a bamboo grove, offering meditation, tea rituals and cultural experiences.
At Banyan Tree Mount Emei, luxury is expressed through quietness rather than excess. CCD’s design does not attempt to outshine Mount Emei; instead, it gives guests a succession of considered ways to encounter it.
