Bronze Interior · 2026
Hua Ting Hotel Shanghai Renovation
by Nan Zheng
- Bronze A' Design Award 2026 in Interior
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 5,744
- Verification code AEFCE4BF2A · Verify this award
Colors
About Hua Ting Hotel Shanghai Renovation
Hua Ting Hotel Shanghai is an interior renovation of a hotel that first opened in 1983. Elements tied to the building identity are preserved, including the reception desk wall, the sunken space and the general functional layout. The lobby holds a curved spiral staircase with glass handrails that glow softly at night. The sunken landscape pool was converted into a quiet meeting area with screen partitions that offer privacy. The signature red color is retained and combined with warm caramel tones. A stone removed in 1983 is engraved with the year and shown as an artwork.
About the Bronze A' Design Award
Hua Ting Hotel Shanghai Renovation is a Bronze A' Design Award winner, a highly prestigious recognition granted to outstanding designs distinguished by creativity, ingenuity, and astuteness. Bronze winners are amply skillful and strikingly creative artifacts that authenticate the vast experience, imagination, and resourcefulness of their designers. Hua Ting Hotel Shanghai Renovation is expected to be a highly regarded, admired, and cherished object that is notably professional and innovative. This Bronze A' Design Award-winning design incorporates best practices in art, science, design, and technology, and is excellent for its attention to detail. Hua Ting Hotel Shanghai Renovation splendidly satisfies needs, touches desires, charms feelings, and appeals to curiosity.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The project is an interior renovation of the Hua Ting Hotel Towers Shanghai, which has been destined for distinction since its founding in 1983. As China’s first five-star hotel established through a Sino-foreign joint venture, it served as Shanghai’s inaugural gateway to the world during the early days of reform and opening-up.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Every corner of the building, from the lobby to the executive lounge, narrates "the new story of old Hua Ting", honoring tradition while embracing the future. The lobby features Shanghai's grandeur and elegance. The original spiral staircase and escalators were replaced with a "dragon coiling" curved spiral staircase featuring glass handrails that glow softly at night. The sunken structure of the landscape pool was retained and repurposed into a tranquil negotiation area, with screen partitions offering both privacy and transparency. A high skylight allows sunlight and greenery to interplay beautifully.
- Tags
- Adaptive Preservation, Shanghai-Style Modernism, Hotel Renovation, Heritage Reimagined, Hua Ting
- Production Technology
- Key elements like the reception desk wall, the iconic staircase, the sunken space, and the functional layout—all integral to Hua Ting's identity—were meticulously preserved, bridging the past with the present.
- Design Challenge
- The 800 cramped guest rooms were redesigned into diverse options, catering to modern business and leisure needs with layouts optimized for contemporary hotel operations. Outdated facilities were replaced with human-centered details, such as minibars inspired by afternoon tea trays and curved shower enclosures. The decor combines Maillard caramel tones with Ancora Red, preserving Hua Ting's warmth while adding a modern touch.
- Research
- Honoring the Classic, Reimagining the Eaves" served as the design's foundation. Hua Ting's legacy lies in its Shanghai-style DNA—blending tradition with modernity, inclusivity with innovation. The team embraced "Inheriting the Classic, Continuing the Modern Canvas" as their guiding principle, striking a balance between preservation and innovation to merge the old Hua Ting's refined elegance with the grace of a new era.
- Inspiration
- In the renovation project, the design team embraced the guiding principle of honoring a classic era while continuing the modern narrative.Striking a thoughtful balance between preservation and innovation, the project reimagines gentlemanly charm through the lens of contemporary elegance.
- Project Duration
- The project started in May 2024 and finalized in October, 2025 in Shanghai, China.
- Operation Flow
- The signature red of Hua Ting, a color ingrained in collective memory, was retained. The building's original S-shaped structure, symbolizing "Spring" and the era of reform, was reinterpreted into the space's arc design, blending interior and exterior seamlessly. A stone removed in 1983 was preserved and engraved with "1983," transforming it into an artwork that marks the passage of time.
