kooo architects adds wooden finish to exposed concrete interiors in chinese guesthouse

after remodelling their first chinese guesthouse, kooo architects designed a second hotel far&near in xinyuqingli st in guangzhou, china. the existing four-story guesthouse became to small to host the increasing number of guests. so the architects kept some aesthetically appealing elements and reconstructed the rest to maximize the use of the space.

kooo architects modified the initial 411 sqm area guest house and created 11 guest rooms, including seven double rooms and four single rooms. aiming to preserve the beauty of the exposed concrete structures, the architects incorporated the existing beams and columns into the new design. the guest rooms are furnished with warm basswood plywood, while the public area use meranti plywood in contrast with the exposed concrete structures. 

with this design, kooo architects preserved both nature and the particular industrial aesthetic as well as the original architecture, and at the same time meeting the low budget. in order to resonate with its local environment and its surrounding traditional residences, the architects intentionally kept the historical gray bricks on the existing façade. additionally, they adjusted the windows and doors in increments of several centimeters considering the overall proportion of the building and interior layout, letting more light and views in the revision to metal frames and increased depth of the sill added more spatial immersion.

project info:

project name: hotel far&near xinyuqingli st. 

architecture firm: kooo architects

completion year: 2019 

gross built area: 411sqm 

project location: xinyuqingli #11, guangzhou, china 

design team: kojima shinya, kojima ayaka , hongdi lin, han wang 

signage design: ayana sano 

photo credits: keishin horikoshi /ss 

clients: hotel far&near