A former steel mill becomes luxury hotel

Over the past several decades, China has risen to become an industrial superpower; in such, the capital has advanced its architecture by hiring starchitects such as Rem Koolhaas and Zahn Hadid. For a while, many of Beijing’s structures were demolished… making room for modern buildings. However now, there is a movement of nostalgia taking place as many people understand the need to maintain historical buildings through adaptive re-use.

Such is the case with the new Shangri-La Shougang Park in Beijing. Piero Lissoni transformed (courtesy of Architectural Record), “one of China’s cathedrals of socialist labor, the former Shougang Steelworks, into a monument to a consumerist society.” The hotel opened late last year, just in time for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Lissoni & Partners, a Milan-based architecture studio, designed the luxury hotel using a mix of the site’s existing industrial aspects and new additions that (courtesy of Wallpaper), “form ‘a series of interconnected structures’.” The hotel is divided into two parts: the Main Building and the Guest Building.

The Main Building feels grand… the architects took advantage of the building’s 60-foot height. An intricate glass façade wraps around the original concrete walls and steel roof trusses. The use of a transparent material allows the original components to remain visible “in all their utilitarian glory.” The first floor is designed as a large sheltered square that is filled with restaurants and bars. In contrast, the second floor includes the hotel reception and lounge. The lounge is essentially placed within a wooden structure; the architects call this area an “intimate nest.”

An elevated bridge connects the Main Building with the Guestroom Building. The architects brought a softer feel to the bedroom areas to contrast the industrial feel of the Main Building. The new concrete-frame building is home to 283 rooms. The rooms are decorated in an Asian style with minimalist lines and soft tones. Looking outside through floor-to-ceiling windows, guests are privy to the gorgeous views of Shijingshan Hill, Yongding River, and Qunming Lake.

In both sections, the furnishings are customized; they integrate a contemporary style with a nod to Asian culture and tradition. Pubic areas were curated by the architects along with Hong Kong art consultants; the beautiful installations reference the building’s industrial past.

In addition to the numerous potted plants, the design inside Shangri-La Shougang Park hopes to present a feeling of being cooped up indoors. In such an industrialized and populated city such as Beijing, this was a very important part of the project.

About the project, Tania Zaneboni, a partner at Lissoni Casal Ribeiro and the interior design coordinator for the project said, “When designing the buildings, we had a great opportunity to work between architecture, interiors, and landscape—a total environment—creating the sense of being in the middle of gardens, inside and out.” Mission accomplished!