Sanya Horizons by Ole Scheeren – Aerial View
Credit Büro Ole Scheeren
© Buro-OS
Sanya Horizons: Büro Ole Scheeren’s stunning design of the Tropical Resort of Hanging Gardens, created for CDF Hotels and proudly managed by IHG.
Ole Scheeren’s internationally acclaimed design for a tropical resort complex that frames Sanya’s stunning coastline is set to open in 2026 to elevate the natural experience. The beach is the focal point of every voyage to the resort city of Sanya.
One of China’s busiest and most sought-after domestic holiday destinations, the city is frequently compared to Miami or the Bahamas, and visitors are drawn to the warm, tropical environment, lush natural setting and beautiful beaches stretching for miles. Rising 160m above the verdant waterfront, Sanya Horizons embraces, integrates and amplifies the surrounding nature to create a unique ecological leisure destination.
Sanya Horizons by Ole Scheeren – Vertical Oasis
Credit Büro Ole Scheeren
The project for CDF Investment & Development Co., Ltd. is located on 83,500 m2 of lush beachfront land. It features two hotels under the IHG brands—The Regent Sanya Bay and Hotel Indigo Sanya Bay.
Instead of building two separate towers, the hotels are stacked vertically, reducing their footprint and preserving much of the natural landscape. This approach improves structural and ecological efficiency and creates a distinctive, memorable silhouette along Sanya’s shoreline.
Sanya Horizons by Ole Scheeren – Green Horizons
Credit Büro Ole Scheeren
Sanya Horizons by Ole Scheeren – Ocean View
Credit Büro Ole Scheeren
Sanya Horizons’ horizontally stacked volumes are curvilinear in plan, designed to frame the ocean and maximize views, with each hotel room featuring a private terrace and unobstructed sea vistas.
The offsets and gaps between these volumes create a variety of natural plantings and gardens throughout the structure, nearly doubling the site’s green space. This vertical jungle, composed of hanging gardens, is accessible from every floor and guest room, offering an immersive, cohesive resort experience.
Sanya Horizons by Ole Scheeren – Sky Perspective
Credit Büro Ole Scheeren
Sanya Horizons by Ole Scheeren – Horizon Pool
Credit Büro Ole Scheeren
Within the horizontal openings, exclusive Horizon Villas have private terraces and swimming pools. Adding various experiential amenities on the Sky Terrace and Sky Deck—such as restaurants, lounges, and lush landscaping—expands the massing and enhances the project’s overall sensory experience.
Located 75 meters above ground, the Horizons Window, a six-story-high opening, serves as a versatile outdoor deck with panoramic views of the east-facing sea and the west-facing sunset. Among the largest globally, the expansive infinity-edge Horizon Pool stretches 153 meters wide and extends over the ocean, creating the illusion that bathing guests are perched above the surf.
Sanya Horizons by Ole Scheeren – Cascading Garden Terraces
Credit Büro Ole Scheeren
Sanya Horizons by Ole Scheeren – Living Landscape
Credit Büro Ole Scheeren
Sanya Horizons by Ole Scheeren – Horizon Pool
Credit Büro Ole Scheeren
The overall structural efficiency of the combined hotel volumes is complemented by multiple large-scale openings that increase porosity and reduce wind loads. Single-loaded hotel room designs enable full natural cross-ventilation and lessen the need for mechanical cooling.
Sanya Horizons by Ole Scheeren – Horizon Pool
Credit Büro Ole Scheeren
Sanya Horizons by Ole Scheeren – Night View
Credit Büro Ole Scheeren
The façade features a deep hexagonal grid of balconies and walkways, providing full sun protection and significantly reducing the building’s energy consumption. With these strategic features and extensive greenery throughout the structure, Sanya Horizons is highly environmentally responsible and sustainable, benefiting both the planet and the surrounding natural beauty.
Sanya Horizons by Ole Scheeren – Regional Aerial View
Credit Büro Ole Scheeren
At ground level, the gentle, rolling landscape, intensified by the vertical stacking of hotels, mirrors the ocean waves and ripples beyond. Hosting a variety of unique species, biotopes, pavilions, and experiences, these gardens enhance the harmony between natural and man-made environments. Architect Ole Scheeren calls this “the merging of architecture and nature into a space of synergetic habitat”—a new kind of natural living space that offers diverse and rich experiential qualities beyond ordinary possibilities.
