Child-friendly B&B, GuangShan

The single-stage competition – organised by Aim Competition on behalf of the state-owned Guangshan County Development Investment company – invites multidisciplinary teams featuring designers and hotel operators to draw up concepts for a range of new creative holiday facilities for young people on an 80ha swathe of GuangShan’s Longshan Lake National Wetland Park.

The call for concepts aims to identify a range of ‘innovative’ and ‘harmonious’ ideas to transform a waterfront plot into a ‘comprehensive vacation area, offering children an unparalleled opportunity to connect with nature in its purest form.’

According to the brief: ‘With the success of the Rural Children’s Art Carnival as a testament to GuangShan’s commitment to becoming a Child-Friendly County, this competition marks the next significant stride towards creating an enchanting haven for children’s artistic expression.

‘By challenging participants to reimagine B&B spaces through innovative designs that seamlessly blend childhood imagination and a harmonious connection to nature, GuangShan aspires to establish the nation’s first child-friendly B&B hub.

‘This competition not only aims to redefine accommodations but also seeks to shape the future of living in this scenic region, fostering an environment where children can chase their dreams amidst the captivating landscapes and rich cultural heritage of GuangShan.’

GuangShan is a large county of around 600,000 residents located in the southeast of China’s landlocked central Henan province. The latest competition focusses on transforming a large former industrial waterfront site located around 10km south west of the centre of GuangShan city.

The project will create a new ‘miraculous child-friendly B&B cluster’ which ‘weaves childhood imagination seamlessly into every design aspect.’ Dubbed the Flight Camp – the new recreational zone is intended to transform GuangShan into a ‘beacon for child-centric hospitality and sets a precedent for innovative and sustainable rural rejuvenation.’

Submissions should include four A1-sized boards featuring design proposals along with a comprehensive B&B operational and business plan. Submissions will be judged on their practicality, operational functionality, design innovation and child-friendliness.

Judges will include Li Jie, curator and founder of the Children 4A Art Museum; Wang Xu, secretary general of the SMART Vacation Industry Expert Committee; and Xiao Xiong, founder of the Xuli Brand and initiator of the Xuao Di Community.

The winners – to be announced in February followed by a public vote on their concepts – will each receive a share of the competition’s £16,600 (150,000 RMB) prize fund. Development subsidies worth up to £1.1 million (10 million RMB) are also available to deliver the winning concepts.