Tradition and innovation collide at the MOMA Lotus Resort, a 2,850-square-metre retreat with meditation spaces, meeting halls and tea rooms, located near Mount Jiuhua, a Buddhist pilgrimage site in China’s Anhui Province. Lacime Architects committed, for the most part, to using clean lines, as evidenced by the grey brick walls, the simple wooden soffits and the glassy pond that surrounds the building. This makes the occasional vernacular flourishes they injected all the more stunning because they’re unexpected. The sloped roof and square courtyard are fashioned after a siheyuan, a traditional Chinese home, and the main hall features ornate trusswork, an exquisite element that both enlivens and sanctifies the space.

Project MOMA Lotus Resort Location Chizhou City, China Firm Lacime Architects, China Team Song Zhaoqing and Xiong Xing with Lin Qionghua, Wei Yiming, Wang Jun and Zhang Zhiwu Photos Schran Images