Chinese design geniuses NHDRO (Neri & Hu Design And Research Office) have picked up the top prize at this year’s inaugural Inside Awards for their hotel design known as “The Waterhouse” located in the abandoned former 1930s headquarters of the Japanese Army in Shanghai. The project is located near the brand new Cool Docks development in the South Bund district of Shanghai, and is a top-to-bottom renovation of the concrete structure, featuring 19 boutique hotel rooms with views overlooking the dreamy Pudong skyline. Orange Cor-Ten steel was used frequently throughout the design to reflect the industrial past of the working dock, and the structural addition on the fourth floors provides a sculptural and analogous nod to the industrial ships that pass by. For the interiors, the architects blurred the lines between interior and exterior, creating several unexpected spatial experiences with brilliant sight lines in nearly part of the interior. Beautiful job. If you find yourself in the area and would like to stay at the The Waterhouse At South Bend, simply visit their website at WaterhouseShanghai.com. For more information on the designers be sure to visit their website at NHDRO.com.
