Neri&Hu

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      Terrazzo and bronze staircase forms focal point of The Sukhothai hotel by Neri&Hu

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      A dramatic staircase connects floors inside this Shanghai hotel, which Neri&Hu has designed with calming, nature-inspired rooms.The staircase can be found in the entrance lobby of The Sukhothai hotel, which is situated in Shanghai’s Jing’an district.

      A huge staircase is the focal point of The Sukhothai’s lobby. Photo is by Pedro Pegenaute
      It features a bronze balustrade and a staggered sequence of slim, grey-terrazzo steps that have been slightly set apart to create the illusion that they’re hovering.
      The entire structure is then enclosed by a gridded timber framework that “envelops” guests as they ascend to the first floor.

      Bronze has been used to make the balustrade, while the steps are grey terrazzo

      In the communal areas that lie beyond the staircase, Neri&Hu has fashioned an aesthetic that subtly celebrates the culture of both Shanghai and Bangkok – where the inaugural branch of The Sukhothai is located.
      “The challenge for Sukhothai in Shanghai was how to remain true to the spirit of the original iconic hotel in Bangkok while bringing in elements that represent the local culture and history,” the studio explained.

      Green hues reference nature and gardens. Photo is by Pedro Pegenaute
      “In the end, our guiding concept was inspired by a universal condition that defines many dense Asian metropolises such as Shanghai and Bangkok — the sense of fragility and congestion and the desire for a reconnection with nature, for room to breathe and rejuvenate,” it continued.
      “We created an urban oasis in the midst of the concrete jungle of the city, so every aspect of the hotel relates to nature.”

      The hotel’s swimming pool is also lined with green tiles. Photo is by Pedro Pegenaute
      Gardens became the main point of reference for the studio. For example, a network of columns has been installed in the restaurant as a nod to the ornate pillars that typically appear in Italian renaissance-style gardens.
      The forest-green leather chairs that surround the dining tables and the emerald-coloured tiles that line the open kitchen are also meant to evoke lush, verdant settings.

      Neri&Hu keeps time-worn details in Parisian restaurant Papi

      A medley of green tiles has also been applied mosaic-style to the hotel’s swimming pool.

      Natural materials are spotlighted in the bedrooms. Photo is by Pedro Pegenaute
      Neri&Hu have continued to use green tones and natural materials upstairs in the 201 guest bedrooms. Walls have been painted a tranquil jade hue, while the floor, headboards and writing desks are lined with wood.
      Pebble-grey Carrara marble has been used to line almost every surface in the bathrooms – including the tubs.

      Grey marble lines surfaces in the bathrooms
      A number of hotels have opened in China this year. Among them is the Intercontinental in Chongqing and Read and Rest Hotel in Beijing, which includes a small library filled with print magazines from across the world.
      For those looking to stay a bit more off the beaten track, Wiki World and Advanced Architecture Lab have also created a collection of 18 mirrored guest cabins on the forested mountainsides of Yichang in China’s Hubei province.
      Photography is by Xia Zhi unless stated otherwise.

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      Neri&Hu keeps time-worn details in Parisian restaurant Papi

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      A huge cylindrical volume clad in white tiles sits amongst aged stone walls inside Papi, a restaurant in Paris designed by Neri&Hu.Papi can be found in the French capital’s ninth arrondissement, taking over the ground floor of a 19th-century Haussmann building.

      Top image: the exterior of Papi. Above: steel-framed windows can be pushed back to open up the restaurant to the street
      Rather than modernising the 52-square-metre site of the restaurant, Neri&Hu has instead tried to showcase the “layers of material heritage” that denote the building’s long and storied past.
      The Shanghai-based studio explained the building works had to be carried out “as carefully as an archaeological dig”.

      Neri & Hu stripped back the interior to expose old brick and limestone surfaces

      “Every single existing element was meticulously examined, and the challenge was in resisting the urge to fix every imperfection, to instead honour the imprint of time upon each surface,” added Neri&Hu.
      “Each fragment represents a different period in Paris’ history, forming a beautiful yet challenging existing canvas for [Neri&Hu] to intervene.”

      The dining area is enclosed within a cylindrical volume
      Wallcoverings and finishes that have built up over the years from previous occupants have been peeled back to reveal the building’s older brick or limestone surfaces.
      Aged stone moulding that borders the entrance door has also been exposed, and a slim cut-out has been made in the facade to reveal an existing steel lintel.
      Similar steel has been used to frame the expansive panels of glazing that front the restaurant. These can be slid back during the warmer months, diffusing the boundary between Papi’s diners and passersby on the street.

      Slim white tiles clad the inside and outside of the volume
      The most significant contemporary addition that Neri&Hu have made to the interior is a towering cylindrical volume that encompasses Papi’s eating area.
      Clad in narrow white tiles, the volume has been placed slightly off-centre so that it butts up against the right-hand side of the restaurant.

      Neri&Hu looked to “traditional courtyard house typology” for Tsingpu Yangzhou Retreat

      Inside are a handful of wooden dining tables and chairs. Guests can alternatively opt to sit on one of the bench seats that have been fitted in the birch plywood-lined openings running around the perimeter of the volume.

      The volume hugs against the restaurant’s right-hand wall
      Other than a couple of tube lights – specifically chosen by Neri&Hu to stand in “stark modern contrast” to the crumbling stone walls – decor in Papi has been kept to a minimum.
      A few mirrors have also been incorporated within the cylinder.
      “[The mirrors] create dynamic perspectives and voyeuristic moments between interior and exterior, but also invite guests within to cross gazes,” concluded the studio.

      Bench seats have been integrated into the volume’s openings
      Neri&Hu has been established since 2004. Other projects that the studio has completed this year include a cultural centre in Beijing that’s covered with aluminium louvres and a hotel in Taipei that takes design cues from the city’s urban landscape.
      Photography is by Simone Bossi.

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