Saturday, July 18, 2009

Beijing 2009 - The Opposite House Boutique Hotel

The Opposite House Boutique Hotel was one of the most beautiful projects we saw on this trip. It was designed by renown Japanese Architect Kengo Kuma. 

The Opposite House is located in the Sanlitun District, an up-and-coming commercial district towards the North-Eastern side of the Forbidden City. It is a part of the huge Sanlitun Village commercial development.

From the outside, the building looks quite ordinary - a glass box clad in shades of green glass panels arranged in a random pattern. It doesn't prepare you for what happens inside.

The minute you enter the hotel, you know you are going into something very different. A 5-storey atrium creates a very dramatic and stunning entrance statement. 

The reception lobby is off to one side, and the reception counter is impossible to find - it is actually a low bench decorated with lots of white candles. The reception staff are dressed in very trendy uniform, looking like fashion models. The wall behind the reception counter is made up of hundreds of small drawers - very much like old Chinese medicine cabinets.

Though we did not make any appointments, the hotel staff were very kind to show us around the property. They even let us into one of the rooms. The room layout is unconventional - one side of it is fully taken up by the bathroom which is separated from the room with a full clear glass partition. This open arrangement makes the room feel really spacious. The floor is finished entirely in untreated timber. The concept probably broke all the conventional rules of hotel design, but the result is stunning !

The corridor design is very minimalist - the only distinguishing feature for the rooms is a recessed light and small metal numbers. 

The rest of the hotel are equally beautiful. This is the restaurant at the basement level.

The Japanese Restaurant. 

The swimming pool is at one of the lower basements, and is topped with a very unusual light installation. Hundreds of fibre-optic lights hanging from the ceiling created a hypnotic infinity effect with mirror walls on the side.

If you happen to be in Beijing, don't miss this true architectural gem. It will leave you breathless !

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