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Waterhouse Shanghai by Neri & Hu

Waterhouse Shanghai, designed by Neri & Hu, is a seminal example of how architecture can transform existing fabric into a space that feels both richly historical and distinctly contemporary. Set within a converted 1930s Japanese naval headquarters on the banks of Suzhou Creek, the project engages with its past through intelligent preservation, subtle interventions, and a refined material sensibility. What could have been a straightforward restoration becomes instead a nuanced dialogue between old and new.

The building’s original concrete structure, stoic and blank, becomes both the canvas and the backbone of the design. Neri & Hu chose not to disguise these raw surfaces, allowing them to remain exposed and authentic, while introducing interventions that are deliberately minimal but meticulously detailed. In doing so, the hotel’s architecture preserves the weight and memory of the original structure while accommodating the spatial and experiential needs of contemporary hospitality.

Spatially, Waterhouse Shanghai is composed around a series of layered experiences that unfold with a quiet choreography. Public areas — lounges, restaurants, and common spaces — are arranged to encourage exploration and encounter, often centring around courtyards and apertures that draw natural light deep into the building. Private rooms, by contrast, are composed with an emphasis on calm, proportion, and material warmth, providing refuge from the urban intensity outside.

What defines Waterhouse Shanghai is its commitment to restraint and material honesty. Rather than inserting a new stylistic signature, Neri & Hu allow structure, texture, light, and craft to inform the architectural narrative. The result is a hotel that feels rooted in place and memory, yet timeless in its spatial clarity — a demonstration of how sensitive design can elevate adaptive reuse into something evocative and lasting.

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Credits:

Film Produced by Pedro Pegenaute
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Visit: https://www.neriandhu.com/

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