as hostel concepts become increasingly popular, this one, named ‘the together hostel’ in beijing aims to bring people in ways of new experiences and activities that generate socializing among strangers. occupying a large open-plan space of a hotel building, the design by cao pu is based around the concept of music festivals.
‘we set up ‘tents’ in the camping space. a huge tent serves as the public space where people can have meals and beverage, read, chat, play, share or even hold their activities. smaller tents are for staying.’ – cao pu
an alternative to placing living arrangements in a series of closed off rooms, tent-like structures have been distributed around the space; stacked and overlapped to create single and double rooms equipped with sockets, lights and a bed. the forms of these timber-framed, polycarbonate clad tent structures have been interpreted to cater to different programs offered by the hostel including an office, a cafe bar, a kitchen and a restroom. additionally, some are grouped in a way that creates a more intimate and private zone between friends.
due to the lack of partition walls, natural light is able to reach all areas of the space
tents are also grouped together to provide an intimate setting for friends
as well as the playful and familiar character cao pu created in this ‘indoor camping space’, a generous flow of natural light permeates the whole floor due to no walls. the double bed tents and single bed tents are organized on one side and separated by an impromptu, stepped theater space that can also be used as storage and bicycles.
the overlapping positioning creates landings for ladders for people to climb up to the upper structures
the kitchen and socializing area
socializing, new experiences, sharing and tents reference music festivals
timber frame and frosted polycarbonate cladding are used for the structures
in addition to the restroom, shower room and double-bed tents, there is a stepped theater area
