VUE Hotel's new flagship property in Beijing

The architects behind this project took a series of quasi-historic buildings and transformed them into a new hotel complex

Two pink rabbits sit atop one of the architecture, building, facade, home, house, outdoor structure, plant, real estate, residential area, sky, tourist attraction, tree, black — Two pink rabbits sit atop one of the buildings

Purple draws the eye in this bathroom - architecture, black

Recessed lighting means a minimalist aesthetic - Recessed architecture, ceiling, interior design, product design, wall, black

At night, it lights up - At night, architecture, estate, evening, home, house, landscape, landscape lighting, lighting, plant, property, real estate, reflection, residential area, sky, tree, water, blue, black

Architectural elements intersect with nature in this garden architecture, cottage, estate, facade, home, house, landscape, plant, property, real estate, residential area, tree, villa, yard, black, gray

A mixed seating area sits beneath the sky plant, tree, water, teal

This seating area is surrounded by trees - architecture, backyard, cottage, courtyard, deck, estate, home, house, outdoor structure, plant, property, real estate, residential area, tree, walkway, black, brown

The suites, while incorporating a number of contemporary architecture, ceiling, interior design, room, black

Wood beams run across the ceiling of this ceiling, interior design, living room, table, black, gray

Outdoor seating areas take advantage of the sun architecture, building, car, home, house, neighbourhood, plant, residential area, roof, sky, tree, woody plant, black

This dining space draws the eye upwards - ceiling, interior design, room, brown

A blue frame mirror draws the eye - architecture, ceiling, home, interior design, lighting, lobby, real estate, black

VUE Hotel’s first flagship property is located in Beijing, in the Hutong district of Houhai. The hotel compound sits on the edge of the picturesque Houhai lake, and neighbours a verdant public park, as well as historic Hutong houses which are still used by local inhabitants today. Located along Houhai’s banks are a district of bars and vibrant cafes.

Undertaken as a major adaptive-reuse exercise, the hotel comprises a series of artistically

transformed quasi-historic buildings from the 1950’s.

This intriguing hotel compound invites you to explore its many facets where you will discover a series of landscaped gardens, a bakery café fronting the bustle of the Hutong streets, a signature restaurant in a warehouse, a rooftop bar overlooking the lake, a gym and over 80 rooms and suites, several with private gardens or with views overlooking the park or lake.

About the architecture

The hotel compound comprises a series of quasi-historic buildings from the 1950’s, with a variety of architectural styles and approaches. Although they were designed primarily in the Chinese vernacular, the different buildings span a range of ornamentation from highly decorative roof eaves, characterful gargoyles, sculptured balconies and latticed window frames, to pared-back jack roofs and plain brick work wall finishes. Our design approach has been to unify this diverse collection through colour and landscaping.

One of the more tame rooms, this space architecture, bedroom, ceiling, estate, home, house, interior design, real estate, room, suite, window, black, gray — One of the more tame rooms, this space opens out to a balcony

All the buildings are conceptually draped over with a dark charcoal grey coat of paint, upon

which key architectural details have been highlighted in a contemporary gold patina. These

featured elements shimmer against the dark backdrop and their prominence suggests an

informal “cataloguing” of key architectural details.

As guests explore the compound, this

“catalogue” of details gradually brings into focus the distinction between the historical versus the contemporary: a subtle juxtaposition, which highlights the rich tension arising from any adaptive reuse design.

Conceptually, the design harnesses all the “left-over” spaces in-between each building, to tie the compound into a single holistic experience. These in-between spaces are treated

graphically with an “ice-ray” lattice pattern inspired by traditional Chinese screens.

Treated three-dimensionally, hardscaped floors and passageways rise to become private balconies or

garden enclosures.

Story by: David Renwick

16 Nov, 2017

Hospitality

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