Tibet is a wonderland that offers something for everyone. Whether you seek historical, cultural, natural, or architectural marvels, a Tibetan tour can fulfill all your needs. Located deep in eastern Tibet, Laigu is home to snow-capped mountains, shimmering lakes, majestic rivers, and beautiful glaciers. This snowy paradise at the end of the Palung Tsangpo River attracts tourists from different regions globally. Here, you’ll find Laigu Glacier, one of the world’s largest glaciers. Laigu Glacier consists of six glaciers: Meixi, Yalong, Ruojiao, Dongga, Xiongga, and Niuema.

Mount Gangrigabu blocks the warm and humid airflow brought by the Indian Ocean monsoon, increasing the amount of rainfall. During your Tibet tour, you’ll notice that Laigu is wetter than other places on the Tibetan Plateau. This wetland has dense forests with flourishing flora and fauna. Majestic bluish glaciers flourish at higher altitudes in the mountains. At 13,320 feet, Laigu village spans across the glacier. The village is surrounded by snow-capped mountains, creating a surreal visual experience for visitors. A dozen families live in this village and earn a living from farming. They use traditional farming practices handed down for generations. Songtsam Laigu lodge is hidden in this idyllic village.

Songtsam Laigu lodge is a Tibetan architectural marvel that blends seamlessly with nature. This boutique tourist lodge provides easy access to cultural experiences and scenic landscapes without compromising your comfort. Songtsam Laigu lodge is a tourist destination by itself.  

Laigu Village

Architectural Concept: “A great voice never heard."

Ms. Shanshan Qi, founder of STUDIO QI Architects and chief architect of Songtsam, designed Songtsam Laigu lodge. She incorporated the concept of, "a great voice never heard" from the Tao Te Ching into the building. The best way to design a building is by mimicking water flowing around obstacles without competing. In short, man-made features should join the flow of nature and blend with the natural surroundings. The hotel’s location is defined by the ancient Laigu glacier and the village. Qi designed the building to respond to geographical characteristics through a profile relationship etched into the cliff. The lodge’s main entrance faces Laigu village, with an open front façade facing the glacier. This architectural design proclaims the unbreakable link between Laigu village and its glacier. Songtsam Laigu lodge is a world-class human heritage designed to preserve the high-altitude Laigu village, representing ancient human existence. The two together are in a state of "a great voice never heard” in the Tao Te Ching. And the design process of Songtsam Laigu lodge is a constant dialogue with both. It connects Laigu’s geographical and cultural aspects.

Songtsam Laigu lodge under the starry sky

Construction difficulty: A building on a massive cliff

Laigu Lodge is a fete of engineering. It is one of the most iconic Songtsam lodges. Laigu village sits 13,000 feet above sea level, surrounded by glaciers and snow-capped mountains. Its geographical location at the center of Songtsam's Yunnan-Tibet route makes it the ideal stopover. Although the village is a must-see wonderland, Laigu’s geographical location poses a logistical nightmare. Overcoming unfavorable transportation conditions was the biggest challenge for Songtsam’s architects during the construction of Laigu Lodge. These limitations required extreme engineering skills to deliver one of the most unique heritage lodges globally. The architects created a detailed project plan, locked in all targets, and executed the strategy with high-level precision. Built on a cliff with care, Laigu Lodge is the smallest and the most space-efficient Songtsam lodge on the Yunnan-Tibet route. The lodge was designed as modular prefabrication and embedded on the cliff, hidden from sight. Although this construction strategy is more costly and complicated than building on the ground, it protects the environment. It also fulfills Songtsam’s mission to preserve Tibetan natural beauty and cultural heritage. This boutique tourist lodge conquered extreme limitations with human ingenuity.

The lodge's exterior and interior construction set new collaboration standards for architects. Songtsam's builders worked on-site in Laigu and relied on a foreign company in Shanghai to deliver highly configured modular sections. First, advanced modular components, electric floor heating, oxygen equipment, LOW-E glass, folding doors and windows, and special hardware were shipped from different countries and assembled in Shanghai. Then, modular interior units were transported to Laigu to be integrated into the building. Construction in Laigu and assembly of the modules were carried out simultaneously. Aligning all players and activities in the project required precise planning to avoid delays and errors. Songtsam architects evaluated every item and detail before implementation, working like a well-oiled machine from start to finish.  

Exterior construction of Songtsam Laigu lodge

Design Details: The cozy nest on the plateau

Many travelers from low-lying areas are discouraged from visiting highlands by the cold and altitude sickness. At 13,000 feet, visitors to Laigu can experience breathing problems due to low oxygen levels. This high-altitude area also experiences low temperatures and high physical exertion. To address these challenges, Songtsam architects designed Laigu Lodge with state-of-the-art technologies. First, three-layer LOW-E glass and floor heating systems imported from Denmark keep guests warm in their rooms. Second, an oxygen concentrator with a centralized molecular sieve supplies clean oxygen 24/7. The architects also installed elevators to reduce the physical exertion of the plateau. These technologies ensure the hermeticity of each room and enhance guests' comfort 24 hours a day. At Laigu Lodge, guests don’t worry about the cold or altitude-related breathing problems.

Every detail of the Laigu Lodge is designed with the guest in mind. Guests get unobstructed views of six oceanic glaciers. The hotel has 4 rooms at each corner of the building, offering the best views. Guests can see Laigu glacier on one end and Dongga glacier on the other. The lodge also has a book bar and restaurant upstairs. Both face the two glaciers.  

The guest room of laigu lodge facing the Laigu Glacier

The guest room of laigu lodge facing the Dongga Glacier

The most demanding functional spaces in hotels are the guest rooms and bathrooms. Why? Guests accomplish their daily activities in these two areas. Both influence guests' experiences. Therefore, they should deliver ultra-luxury and high comfort. To achieve this goal, Songtsam contracted an experienced company to assemble the guest rooms and bathrooms in Shanghai. Creating modular spaces in Shanghai eliminated the need to execute complex construction processes on the plateau. But it did not address the challenges of balancing functionality and comfort. The best architectural approach reflects the building’s design in its usability, not its appearance. Ideally, features that enhance comfort in tourist lodges should be invisible to the guests.

In Songtsam Laigu lodge, hidden elements are pushed to the extreme to deliver the best experience for the guests. For example, the architects installed folding windows on the balcony because the lodge hangs on a cliff with strong wind. Folding windows can withstand strong winds better than rigid conventional windows that open outwards. Inward-opening windows will be safe from the winds, but they take more space. Folding windows are space-efficient and easy to use because guests can push and pull them. This option is convenient for guests. They can push, like an outward-opening window, or pull like an inward-opening window.

Folding windows installed on the balcony

The balcony floor and facade are made of dark bamboo wood. Although bamboo costs more than regular wood, it can withstand ultraviolet rays and the dry climate of the plateau. Other types of wood will deform and crack when exposed to Laigu’s harsh weather conditions. Bamboo is also aesthetically pleasing due to its beautiful colors. So, the architects chose bamboo for aesthetic and functional purposes. The balcony doors have louvers that can be opened to boost air circulation. When closed, the louvers prevent the indoor oxygen supply from escaping outdoors. This architectural design feature transforms the lodge into an airtight bubble of comfort.

The bed in each guestroom faces outdoors, providing an unobstructed view of scenic landscapes through a 10-foot-long open space. Guests get an immersive experience of Laigu’s natural beauty while relaxing in the comfort of their beds. The architects installed reading lights in the guest rooms without overhead lights on the ceiling. This approach minimizes light interference when viewing the glaciers from the room. Laigu Lodge’s interior design combines practicality and style. Simple and minimalistic furniture and fittings enhance space efficiency and make the lodge look roomier. The architects opted for a more open floor layout. For example, guests can access the water cabinet from both sides.

The interior features Tibetan wainscoting made of coarse linen that reflects the qualities of the Ranwu region and echoes Laigu’s wild and pristine natural environment. Laigu Lodge is the only Songtsam lodge that uses velvet curtains. The warm, velvety texture neutralizes the cold floor-to-ceiling glass windows and the snowy mountain and glacier landscape. Songtsam interior designers chose green velvet to maintain a sense of integration with the ever-green natural environment.  

The velvet curtains in the guest room

Design Thinking: Modular design

Modular design is the rational and clever way to maximize space and comfort, while achieving a stable structure. The chief architect, Shanshan Qi, crafted the original modular building plan for Songtsam Laigu lodge. She refined it and reduced the modules from more than 150 to 43, saving Songtsam tens of millions of dollars in construction costs. According to Qi, “It is not only about saving costs for Songtsam, but that one should think about using technology to bring out the best in it.” Qi strived to get the most out of her plan while maintaining the characteristics of the modules.

Most people associate modular design with “container building.” But the ecological modules used to build Laigu Lodge are different from containers. The “container building” model reuses existing boxes. So, it is less design-intensive with a simple construction process. Laigu's module is an active and selective program that solves the pain points in construction. The module is part of the building, tailored to Laigu’s weather conditions and finely crafted to perfection. The benefit of using modular units is design flexibility. Shanshan Qi focused on space efficiency and parametric ingenuity to tighten the entire building form. The idea is to choose the minimalist option in each building section. For example, it would be best to use 43 modules instead of 44 if both deliver the intended outcome. The lodge’s modular design combines three modules to make two standard guestrooms with a set of snaps in the middle. The water bar of a room is the drying room next door, improving space efficiency and module utilization. Each of the 43 modules is a small house with independent structures and outer skin. Laigu Lodge used a simplified modular design, eliminating complexities and complications during the construction process.

Mr. Baima Duoji, Songtsam’s founder, seeks perfection in each construction and requests several changes and customizations on-site. But Laigu Lodge was different. This project didn’t provide room for artisanal refinements during the construction process. The architects had to fulfill Mr. Baima's pursuit of perfection in the early stages. They carefully considered the modular designs in the planning stage, with no option for changes during implementation. All 43 modules must fit perfectly like a jigsaw puzzle. Songtsam collaborated with foreign manufacturing teams, guided by strict building codes and international regulatory compliance. The foreign teams required a rigorous plan review process to eliminate blind spots and hidden pitfalls.

Safety issues and protocols were prioritized. These were crucial when constructing a building on a cliff in an earthquake zone. For example, the architects ensured the triple LOW-E glass meets all technical parameters and safety requirements. The glass also fulfills environmental protection measures, including low light reflectivity to reduce light pollution. It can isolate ultraviolet light. Laigu Lodge combines several environmental initiatives, from sewage discharge to energy consumption. The LOW-E glass provides indoor insulation, reducing energy consumption for air conditioning. All electrical switches in the modular units operate independently with their own control systems. This approach enhances energy efficiency. Environmental initiatives incorporated in Laigu Lodge reflect Songtsam’s commitment to eco-friendly tourist operations.

Conceptual drawing of the module designed for Laigu lodge

Lessons Learned: Designing an architectural masterpiece

Songtsam Laigu lodge is an architectural masterpiece that blends contemporary and traditional Tibetan styles. Its construction was a breakthrough for Songtsam. Moreover, the combination fulfills Songtsam's commitment to preserving Tibetan culture and heritage. It also aligns with Songtsam’s philosophy and what Mr. Baima has emphasized for years: “To put advanced design out of sight so that guests can experience a real service without service traces.” As the saying goes, “Moisten things in silence.” This saying means work behind the scenes to deliver the best outcome. Songtsam will always do its best to design high-standard tourist lodges and infrastructure that maximize comfort for all guests.  

Although Laigu Lodge stands out from the crowd, it is not the only Tibetan architectural marvel in Songtsam’s portfolio. Songtsam has several tourist lodges across Tibet, including Shangri-la Lvgu Lodge, Lhasa Linka, and Namcha Barwa Lodge. All three promote traditional architectural designs while protecting the environment and locals' heritage.