The Daxia Xixian Hotel creates a landmark-scale development integrating a 5-star hotel, waterpark, sky ballroom, spa, and convention facilities.
Positioned at the convergence of the Feng River Wetland Park and the CuiHua Mountains in Xixian’s expanding New District, the project’s iconic form performs simultaneously as urban landmark and civic threshold.
“The intent was to create a new landmark for the city—one capable of addressing the heroic scale and signature fluidity of the wetlands and hills while simultaneously negotiating the extraordinary velocity of movement surrounding the site,” said KPF Principal Jeff Kenoff. “The ambition was to form a piece of architecture with enough presence, clarity, and subtle provocation that it would, in a sense, dare visitors to enter.”
The project organizes the hotel program into two distinct wings, the Mountain Hotel and the Wetland Hotel, each offering its own spatial rhythm and guest experience and linked by a grand sky ballroom and shared amenities. This configuration creates a monumental arrival portal that draws visitors directly into the heart of the project.
“The façade rises in a series of layered horizontal bands that sweep upward with a calm, controlled rhythm,” said KPF Senior Associate Principal Luke Lu. “Each line gently swells around the building’s form, echoing the waves of the surrounding wetlands and rivers, creating a fluid geometry that conveys movement while maintaining a sense of composure and clarity.”
The project’s form draws inspiration from the bends of the river, the mountains beyond, and the linear strokes of calligraphy found in Xi’an’s local craft—collectively shaping a symbiotic system of indoor and outdoor environments deeply rooted in the city’s cultural heritage.
