Hotel Twelve, Shanghai, People’s Republic China, 2006-2012

Project: 2006
Construction: 2008-2012
Client: Shanghai Land Group
Partner: arch. Li Yao
Built surface: 51.100 mq

Hengshan is a residential quarter where art nouveau detached houses alternate with green areas. Hotel Twelve stands on the main road, on a lot once occupied by a shoe factory. The urban conditions and the search for exclusiveness and high standards made the project develop according to two main outlines. The first one interprets the entrance portico on Hengshan Road like an external stage, a concave volume where guests can stop in the big sheltered hall. The second one designs an elliptical courtyard embellished by a garden in its centre, connected visually and spatially to the lobby by means of big windows. The balconies and the windows of the rooms overlook the garden, which is slightly raised with respect to the lobby to indicate its artificial nature and to reveal the hypogeal space with the wellness centre. The roof of the hotel follows the perimeter of the courtyard and is characterized by another garden. Bamboo canes, palmettos and maples characterise this peaceful spot crossed by duckboards that lead the guests to private gazeboes where they can relax. This natural terrace commands a beautiful view of the quarter and of Shanghai skyline. Hotel Twelve is a parallelepiped of five floors above ground. At the entrance of the hotel a spiral staircase leads to the upper floors that contain the restaurant, the lounge and the events space. The basements house the wellness centre, the indoor swimming pool and the lecture hall. The façades are clad with terracotta tiles laid flat or at an angle of 45 degrees. The choice of this natural material allows the hotel to integrate with the few historical buildings still present in the quarter.