Renewal of the Imperial Trader’s Hotel 外商大酒店更新改造

The predecessor of the renovated Guangzhou Imperial Trader’s Hotel is the Guangdong Foreign Traders Club, which was built in 1989 and was one of the first hotels specifically for foreign affairs in modern China. From Guangzhou Middle Avenue where the Hotel is located, one can hardly imagine that in the early 1990s, the nowaday central business district lined with skyscrapers was nothing but sprawling farmland, the Club and its adjacent Nanfang Daily Newspaper Headquarter were once the only high-rise buildings in the area. With the rapid development of this area from the beginning of the 21st century, the Foreign Traders Club was once one of the most sought-after hotels in the city thanks to its convenient location. However, as the role of serving the needs of “foreign affairs” receded, the Hotel is now keen to re-integrate into the city with a new concept and a new appearance.

改造项目广州外商大酒店的前身,是始建于1989年的广东外商活动中心,它是中国最早的外事活动酒店之一。站在如今高楼林立、车水马龙的广州大道上可能很难想象,在上世纪九十年代初,珠江新城还只是无垠的田野,这座酒店与其毗邻的南方报业大楼曾经是这一带唯二的地标性高层建筑。进入本世纪初,周边多个商务区迅速发展,地理位置得天独厚、与广州新中轴线比邻相望的外商活动中心一度是广州市最炙手可热的酒店之一。而随着“外事酒店”这一富于时代特点的角色逐渐退隐,虽然酒店的名称仍然保留着“外商”二字,但已经迫切地需要以全新的面貌来重新融入这个城市。

Against this backdrop, the new Guangzhou Imperial Trader’s Hotel was re-planned into a complex of hotel, restaurants, retail and co-working area, targeting a younger market and requiring as much cost control as possible. The original building is a typical internationalist style building from the 1980s, which we find necessary to preserve from both aesthetic and conservational perspectives.

在这一背景下,全新的广州外商大酒店重新规划成酒店、餐饮、商铺和共享办公几大功能区,主要针对年轻群体市场,并需要尽可能控制改造成本。酒店本体是上世纪八九十年代典型的国际主义风格建筑,无论是从视觉上还是历史意义上,都有将其保留下来的必要。

The original façade plaster of the tower, which continues serving as hotel, was replaced with a white mosaic veneer, highlighting the building block in a sculptural language while turning the façade into a canvas for the subsequent multimedia lighting. The podium part, which houses the stores, restaurants and co-working area, is wrapped with light-weight louvered aluminum panels and embedded with white indirect light sources, creating a transparent, light and bright appearance. The annex building connected to the tower through a corridor bridge is mainly occupied by stores and restaurants, and serves as an extension of the shopping mall in the tower: this connection is highlighted by the bright red bridge and the façade elements of the same color.

延续酒店功能的塔楼部分,其原始的立面抹灰被改为白色马赛克贴面,将这一体量雕塑化地呈现出来的同时,也为后续的外立面多媒体灯光效果提供了一面画布。对于集中了商铺餐饮和共享办公区的裙房部分,则以轻盈的百页铝板包裹,内嵌白色间接光源,营造出通透、轻盈、明快的视觉感受,同时与塔楼相呼应。与塔楼通过廊桥相连的一座附属楼,以商铺餐饮为主,是塔楼商场功能的延伸,明亮的红色立面元素与同色的廊桥也点明了这一联系。

The multimedia lighting on the façade is also particularly thoughtful. B+C collaborated with realities:united to devise a simple geometric design for the tower’s façade; for the podium, the façade’s white embedded light source can be CNC’d to create a pixelated abstract pattern. In contrast to the surrounding buildings that are trying to capture the eyes with brighter, more vibrant, more complex lighting, the Imperial Trader’s Hotel stands out with its “reduced” lighting concept to open up a unique dialogue with the surrounding urban space.

建筑外立面的多媒体灯光也格外倾注了设计巧思。B+C与realities:united合作,为酒店塔楼立面的多媒体灯光选择了简洁的几何图形设计;对于裙房部分,立面的白色内嵌光源可以通过数控呈现像素式的抽象图案。在争相以更明亮、更鲜艳、更繁复的灯光“加法”来夺人眼球的城市建筑之间,外商大酒店的立面灯光则以做“减法”的方式,与周围的城市空间开启姿态独特的对话。

Project details

  • PROJECT LOCATION:
    Guangzhou Avenue 293, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
  • 项目地点:
    中国广州市广州大道293号
  • WORKING RANGE:
    Architecture (Renovation) / Interior / Landscape Design
  • 工作范畴:
    建筑设计(建筑改造)/ 室内 / 景观设计
  • TYPOLOGY:
    Multiuse (Shopping Mall, Co-Working, Hotel)
  • 项目类型:
    混合功能(商场、联合办公、酒店)
  • BUILDING AREA(m²):
    33,578 m²
  • 建筑面积(m²):
    33,578 m²
  • LANDSCAPE AREA(m²):
    4,819 m²
  • 景观面积(m²):
    4,819 m²
  • PROJECT STATUS:
    Built
  • 项目状态:
    建成
  • DESIGN STARTING:
    October 2017
  • 设计开始:
    2017年10月
  • CONSTRUCTION FINISHED:
    January 2020
  • 项目落成:
    2020年1月
  • PRINCIPLE DESIGNER:
    Cai Wei, Philipp Buschmeyer
  • 主持设计师:
    蔡为, Philipp Buschmeyer
  • FAÇADE LIGHTING DESIGN CONCEPT COOPERATION:
    realities:united, studio for art and architecture, Berlin(Team: Jan Edler, Tim Edler, Christopher Gramer, Project Architect: Christopher Gramer)
  • 外立面灯光设计合作方:
    柏林 realities:united 建筑艺术工作室(成员:Jan Edler, Tim Edler, Christopher Gramer, 项目建筑师: Christopher Gramer)
  • PHOTOGRAPHY:
    Arch-Exist
  • 摄影师:
    存在建筑摄影
  • CLIENT:
    Guangdong Zhongsheng Innovative Culture Co.Ltd.
  • 甲方:
    广东中晟创新文化股份有限公司