Jinan Runhua Crowne Plaza Hotel

Jinan Runhua Crowne Plaza Hotel is located approximately 8 kilometers from downtown, within a new urban development area centered around a newly built high-speed railway station. This area is envisioned as the future hub of Jinan, with developments of international exhibition centers, theaters, museums, and many of cultural facilities. The 13,600-square-meter site is home to a 32-story urban high-rise that includes office spaces and a hotel, which opened as a Crowne Plaza. From a landscape point of view, the nearly 5,000-square-meter public green space on the west side of the building, required by the master plan for land use, significantly elevates the project’s value.

Jinan, the capital city of Shandong Province in China, boasts a profound history and culture dating back to the Zhou dynasties. The city is also renowned for its abundant natural resources, particularly its water resources, such as Five Dragons Pool and Baotu Spring, which have served as Jinan’s historical water sources for centuries. Baotu Spring, famously called “the number one spring under heaven” during the Qing Dynasty.

The site was originally designated as public green space, but the hotel’s owner invested in the space to develop a space closely connection with the hotel itself. Without this green space, the site would have been a typical urban high-rise hotel development with outdoor spaces occupied solely by traffic function. The integration of spatial and functional continuity between the green space and the hotel has resulted in a more attractive and engaging outdoor environment.

The design team set the concept of an “Urban Stage,” positioning the green space as the centerpiece of outdoor activities and transforming the entire hotel development into a dynamic setting for the daily lives of both hotel visitors and residents in this emerging urban area. This approach also elevates the hotel’s functional and economic value.　

For the hotel, this green space functions in tandem with its banquet areas, serving as an outdoor venue for wedding parties, events, corporate presentations, and open-air markets event. From a public perspective, it provides a park-like space, freely accessible to nearby residents as an urban oasis.

Piloti Space:
The main landscaped area on the hotel site is the large piloti space at the main entrance for both the hotel and banquet rooms. Measuring 35 meters wide and 55 meters deep, this expansive space lacks natural lighting and houses many architectural features, including ramps to the basement parking and emergency stairs. The landscape design tackled various challenges to create a welcoming entrance space that represents the identity of the hotel.　

Due to the difficulty of planting greenery, the design team focused on water as the main element to convey the elegance and luxury appropriate for the hotel’s entrance. The design recalls the many iconic springs of Jinan, allowing guests to experience its rich water environment, with fountains leading the way to the entrance.

To address the visually unappealing driveway ramp to the basement seen from the lobby, a waterfall was designed along the parapet, drawing attention away with its water flow and adding a calming ambiance through the gentle sound of water. The waterfall extends westward to the adjacent green space, guiding both visual and physical induction towards this area.

Given Jinan’s cold winters and the developer’s requirement to disable water features during freezing months, the design incorporated artificial stone surfaces with water ripple patterns, ensuring the space remains visually appealing even when the water feature is not operational.

The piloti space was cohesively designed by the landscape architects, integrating paving, water features, decoration of the building columns, and ceiling designs to create a unified and welcoming entrance area.

Public Green Space:
While the green space is public, it was designed with an open layout oriented towards the east, facing the hotel. The piloti space opens directly onto the green area, creating a seamless connection between the two landscapes and providing easy access for hotel guests.

At the center is an open lawn, complemented by paved spaces to create a nearly 1,000-square-meter multifunctional open space. Positioned along the hotel’s central axis, a pergola provides a sheltered space suitable for hosting a variety of events.

The northern side of the Jinan Runhua Crowne Plaza Hotel faces a wide municipal arterial road, while the western side abuts the backyards of a neighboring hospital. These boundaries are buffered by lush greenery on three sides, reinforcing the green space’s centrality as an “Urban Stage.” Under the trees in the northern and southern areas, features like the timber-decked rest court and the serene garden were designed to create multifunctional and welcoming outdoor spaces for a diverse range of visitors.

Finally, to enhance the seamless integration of indoor and outdoor spaces, water features have been incorporated into the interior. These features were also designed with inspiration from Jinan’s gushing, ever-flowing springs.