ARCHELLO YOUR CONNECTION WITH ARCHITECTURE

Located by the new cool docks development on the south bund district of shanghai, this 19 room boutique hotel occupies an old japanese army head quarter built in the 1930’s, and fronts the huangpu river and the glamorous pudong skyline across. the renovation architectural concept rests on a clearly articulated old/new, where the original concrete building is restored while the new volumes paneled in corten steel speak of the industrial past of this working dock by the huangpu river. formally the fourth floor suites resonate with the ships which pass through the river, providing an analogous contextual link to both history and local culture. the interior strategy is expressed through a blurring and inversion of the inside/outside as well as public/private, creating a disorienting yet refreshing spatial experience for the hotel guest who longs for the extraordinary. the public spaces allow one to peek into private rooms and the private spaces invite one to look on to public arenas, resulting in an unexpected welcome that defines the hotel’s hospitality.