Building on the insight that every project brings its own unique requirements and needs, Neri & Hu place great emphasis on research as a design tool.
They critically examine context, location, function, and history, and develop their designs consistently. Rather than adapting a formal style, they focus on the dynamic interplay of experience, detail, material, form, and light. Numerous publications and awards for Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu show that this is the right approach. The same design idea can be seen in the Waterhouse hotel: the substance of the former Army Headquarters remained largely untouched, while the newly added elements are clearly legible. An important idea was the connection between inside and outside, and between private and public space: large windows allow views from the lobby to the rooms, and even from the corridors into the restaurant. These visual links create moments of surprise and introduce visitors to Shanghai’s spatial situation: framed views, boundaries, and narrow streets. The designers were able to create an unusual, refreshing five-star hotel experience!
Anna Lohan
Yolande A. Bow
Peter Dark
miranda_shida
