The Wuhan Senbo Resort stands is envisioned by WJD Design-Endless Mind to display the power of design when cultural heritage meets contemporary innovation. Located at No. 1 Ecocity Avenue in Wuhan’s Caidian District, this 118,000-square-meter cultural and tourism landmark redefines what a parent-child urban vacation experience can become.
The design process stretched from January 2023 to completion in May 2025. Wuhan Times Urban Architecture Design Co., Ltd. collaborated on the project alongside WJD Design’s Endless Mind and Invisible Essence studios. Assistant designers Yu Haodong, Chen Lei, Xie Na, Liu Shaojun, Pan Hongyang, and Shen Lei handled execution.
The 46,000 square meters of interior space had to balance competing demands: brand identity against regional specificity, artistic ambition against construction budget, playfulness against calm. The result works because the team treated these tensions as design problems rather than compromises to negotiate.
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Design Philosophy: Exploring Nature with Love
The interior design team, led by WJD Design’s Chen Yonghua alongside Shen Maohui, Yu Yu, Chen Ying, and Xu Yiyang, approached this project with a singular vision: to create an immersive natural aesthetic destination that breaks from the monotony of standardized hospitality spaces. Their starting point was the Senbo brand’s core philosophy of exploring nature through a lens of affection and wonder.
Wuhan’s identity as the “River City” and “City of a Hundred Lakes” provided rich cultural soil for the design concept. The team drew inspiration from the timeless Wuhan legend “Meeting a Bosom Friend by High Mountains and Flowing Water,” extracting three core motifs that would become the project’s visual DNA: mountains, water, and lotus flowers.
Spatial Narrative Across 46,000 Square Meters
What distinguishes this project from conventional hospitality design is its rejection of superficial natural imitation. Through techniques of deconstruction, translation, and abstraction, the design team embedded the imagery of high mountains, flowing water, and lotus blossoms throughout the 46,000-square-meter interior space in form, color, and artistic conception.
The lobby ceiling unfolds like layered mountain peaks, its curved surfaces stretching across the space with geological drama. Below, floor patterns evoke rippling water waves, creating a sense of movement and fluidity that guides guests through the space. Guest room surfaces reinterpret natural textures through soft decorative treatments, while public areas feature subtle light and shadow effects that mimic natural veins and organic patterns.
This approach transforms the entire resort into a perceivable and explorable narrative scene. Every moment of walking, sitting, or resting becomes an opportunity for guests to engage in silent dialogue with Wuhan’s lakes and waterscapes.
Engineering Innovation: The Curved Lobby Challenge
The most demanding technical challenge lay in integrating organic natural forms with the structural requirements of a large-scale commercial space. The iconic giant curved surface in the lobby presented extraordinary complexity. Its double-curved shape demanded precision in both structural calculation and construction execution while maintaining fire safety compliance and ergonomic standards.
The design team conducted multiple simulation deductions through BIM technology and parametric design modeling. Working closely with construction partners, they developed custom prefabricated GRG (Glass Fiber Reinforced Gypsum) components that achieved seamless integration between artistic form and building structure. The result delivers visual impact and a sense of smoothness without compromising engineering quality or project implementability.
Material Innovation and Sustainability
Material selection reinforces the project’s ecological narrative. The palette includes GRG, new art panels, PETG ice pearl panels, artistic paint, natural wood, and bamboo weave. Each material was chosen for its environmental credentials and ability to echo natural textures.
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An intelligent dimming system adds another layer of sophistication, simulating the soft light and shadow changes of natural light passing through lotus leaves at different times of day. This creates a dynamic indoor atmosphere that shifts and breathes with the hours, connecting guests to natural rhythms even within an interior environment.
Balancing Art, Function, and Culture
The design process from preparation to implementation centered on achieving equilibrium across multiple dimensions: artistic expression with functional needs, brand tone with regional culture, and construction costs with design effects. The team successfully transformed an abstract cultural concept into a tangible, experiential physical space.
For family guests, the resort creates a childlike and exploratory environment that encourages discovery and play. For adult guests seeking tranquility, it provides a quiet and relaxing sanctuary. This dual character reflects sophisticated understanding of how hospitality spaces must serve diverse needs simultaneously.
Project Details
Location: No. 1 Ecocity Avenue, Caidian District, Wuhan, China
Design Companies: WJD Design (Endless Mind, Invisible Essence), Wuhan Times Urban Architecture Design Co., Ltd.
Chief Designers: Chen Yonghua, Shen Maohui, Yu Yu, Chen Ying, Xu Yiyang
Assistant Designers: Yu Haodong, Chen Lei, Xie Na, Liu Shaojun, Pan Hongyang, Shen Lei
Total Floor Area: 118,000 square meters
Indoor Area: 46,000 square meters
Design Cycle: January 25, 2023
Completion: May 29, 2025
Client: Wuhan Urban Construction Group Co., Ltd.
Photography: Hanmo Vision (Song Ye, Fupeng Wu)
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