When tasked with turning a 1930s former army building into a luxury 5-star hotel, most designers would begin by repairing the endless exposed concrete and brick of the interior walls. However, when Chinese architects NHDRO found themselves in this very position, a different approach was deemed necessary.

Hoping to create a clear contrast between the old and new, NHDRO left the rugged interior walls untouched in order to set off contemporary design elements such as lighting, flooring and furniture, whilst simultaneously referencing the long history of the building. Heavy use of steel in both the building’s interior and fourth-floor rooftop extension pays tribute to the local area’s history as a working dock along the Huangpu River.

Some traditional design elements are present in the Waterhouse Hotel – as the building became known – including an internal courtyard surrounded by three walls. However, many large windows were introduced into the design in an attempt to both merge the interior and exterior and blur the lines between public and private space.

This ethos carries through into the building’s interior, where narrow windows allow glimpses into guest rooms, and some bathroom walls are made entirely of glass. In public spaces, large interior windows offer unparalleled views overlooking the hotel’s dining area and reception.

The visual connections created by the open nature of its interior exist to introduce ‘an element of surprise’ to the luxurious experience offered by the hotel, say its designers. But with the hotel being located in Shanghai – a city famous for tight winding alleys, known locally as nong-tangs – the glimpses of private and public spaces seem beautifully in context. As anyone who has walked down one of Shanghai’s nong-tang’s will know, the city’s streets have been providing a visual ‘element of surprise’ for many years, and now Shanghai has a hotel which provides the same experience.

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