atelier RIGHT HUB renovates an old chinese house into a contemporary boutique hotel in hangzhou

in a village in hangzhou, china, RIGHT HUB renovated an old house and its adjoining four courtyards to create a boutique hotel that blends traditional chinese architecture with contemporary design. the project, appropriately named ‘MYMORY’ that consists of ‘my’ and ‘memory’, is meant to keep the old residence’s spirit of the older generations. located in the foothill of the tianmu mountain, the boutique hotel is surrounded by picturesque natural landscape, overlooking the distant village and outlining a beautiful chinese ink painting.

image © 3TH Image Studio

RIGHT HUB started from an old, yet beautifully preserved, house built in the 1970s featuring rammed earth walls and wooden frames. this became the premise of the project’s overall planning. the architects wanted to preserve the essence of the old building yet add a new one to integrate the four existing courtyards. the existing walls and wooden structures were repaired and reinforced, and floor made of steel structure and concrete.

image © 3TH Image Studio

for the renovation, the architects covered the rammed earth walls with the recycled old bricks, and the wooden structures became exposed in the interior space. the historical traces of the old house and the beauty of the structures become completely evident to the guests. RIGHT HUB replaced the original single residential function of the old house with the multi-function of the hotel, which now includes a lobby, reception, lounge, tea room, dry kitchen, wet kitchen, dining room and two suites on the second floor.

image © RIGHT HUB

in terms of natural illumination, a large skylight was installed on the roof of the living room, bedroom and bathroom to introduce light into the space. this addition drastically improves the quality of indoor lighting during the daytime. on the east side of the old house, a new restaurant on the water, the ‘ying dining room’ was built with steel structures and glass curtain walls.

image © RIGHT HUB

japanese cherry trees were planted in the east courtyard, and guests can enjoy a unique dining experience when cherry blooms during the spring. the old house and the new building vary in height by 1.5m and are connected through a glass corridor. on both of its sides, the corridor features stunning views of the reflecting pond, and creates the illusion of the guests walking out of the water.

image © 3TH Image Studio

there are two lounges in the new building offering the guests a panoramic view of the outdoor scenery through the glass curtain walls. a fireplace is located in the northwest-facing lounge, a comfortable area for a relaxing afternoon.

image © 3TH Image Studio

five new suites, located on the second and third floors, include a private balcony. the large windows in each suite flood the spaces in natural lighting during the daytime, meanwhile, the outdoor beautiful scenery is also introduced into the room. the bathroom in suite has been designed as a ‘glass box’, with its transparent and bright design providing a unique experience to the guests. the curtain features a hidden track on the periphery of the ‘glass box’ to ensure the privacy of the guests using the bathroom.

the appearance of the new building is expressed by the block element with cement texture. the perforated wood screens acting as the building’s skin will be installed completely in the future, the filtered light from the wood screens allows the interior space to render the flowing texture of the time.a swimming pool was added to the west courtyard, and a sunken plaza next to it can accommodate up to eight people.

image © RIGHT HUB

the exterior bar sits between the swimming pool and the sunken plaza in the west courtyard. this enables the guests to have a drink and chat with friends at the bar without getting out of the pool. three of the courtyards are enclosed with a glass railing on the south side, making the site’s boundary visually blurred. this way guests in the courtyard look out over the distant village without hindrance.

image © RIGHT HUB

image © 3TH Image Studio

image © RIGHT HUB

project info:

project name: mymory – boutique hotel in hangzhou site

designers: right hub

location: tianmu mountain, taihuyuan, lin’an, hangzhou, china

project type: boutique hotel and cultural event space

principal architects: gong jian, liu meng

design team: zhang jie (architectural designer), ling huihong (interior designer), wu kailun (interior designer), song yongjian (ff&e designer), xu zhen (graphic designer)

structural consultant: zhang haihang / zhejiang guangsha architectural design&research., ltd.

lighting consultant: jizhi lighting

site area: 3000 sqm

gross area: 800 sqm

design period: june 2018 – october 2018

construction period: october 2018 – november 2019

architectural materials: concrete, stone, recycled gray brick, recycled gray roof tiles, engineered wood, texture paint, raw steel, glass

interiors materials: terrazzo, ceramic tiles, white oak, walnut, bronze interiors – fixtures &

fittings: kohler

decorative lighting: moooi, tom dixon, flos, marsden

furniture: custom furniture by right hub，moooi, stellar works, hay, magis, carl hansen & son, ikea, norhor

other products: dyson, bose, grown alchemist, minke

video and photography: right hub, 3th image

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom