The 2025 THE PLAN AWARD ceremony was held at the Monte Rosa 91 Auditorium in Milan, Italy. Kimpton Huangshan, designed by Fanhao Meng, Co-Founder and Chief Architect of line+, received the Winner prize—the sole award in the Hospitality | Future category. As the highest honor in its group, this recognition marks another major international achievement for the project, following its A+ Awards Jury Winner, reaffirming line+’s innovative work in nature-led cultural tourism and high-end resort design.

 
“My vision for Kimpton Huangshan extends beyond creating a contemporary retreat. I hope its spatial experience evokes emotional resonance and continues the spirit of Huizhou culture in a contemporary form.”
— Fanhao Meng

 
Located in Xiuli Ancient Town—celebrated as the “painted Huizhou” of southern Anhui and neighboring the historic villages of Xidi and Hongcun—the project revisits Huizhou’s cultural essence through a contemporary lens. Drawing from settlement patterns, courtyard archetypes, and cultural motifs such as the “four waters returning to the hall,” the design reinterprets traditional spatial order with modern strategies. Responding to a terrain of steep slopes, gentle inclines, and valley folds, the architecture unfolds as layered courtyards and multi-level public spaces, establishing a deep dialogue with both landscape and local heritage.

 
The 2025 THE PLAN AWARD received over 1,000 submissions worldwide. After three rigorous rounds of evaluation by an international jury of experts in architecture and academia, only 37 winners—one per category—were selected, representing a winning rate of just 3%. As a major platform within the global architectural community, the THE PLAN AWARD provides architects, designers, and planners an important opportunity to engage with international peers and contribute to critical discourse on the built environment.