Linhai Yufengli Homestay: 2020 Best of Year Winner for International Hospitality Transformation
To transform a decades-old complex in the city’s historic district into a stylish hotel would warrant more than a simple renovation. The property in question, centered on an early 20th–century siheyuan, or courtyard house, also encompassed two 60-year-old brick-concrete houses and a pair of warehouses dating to the 1990s. To bridge the three disparate entities, which encompass 35,000 square feet, LYCS Architecture formulated a concept dubbed “space-time corridors”: themed hallways that not only connect the existing buildings but also nod to the eras when each was conceived. The scheme allowed the design team to preserve original characteristics in the structures, which have since been complemented with such contemporary details as a rusted-metal staircase bordering the courtyard, its jagged form reflected in a placid, jet-black water feature below. The dialogue between old and new continues indoors, where concrete maintains the industrial aesthetic while warm oak and copper lend a sense of welcome and subtle opulence.
Project Team: Ruan Hao; Zhan Yuan; He Yulou; Zhang Qiuyan, Ji Han; Zhao Yifan.
> See the full list of winners and honorees from Best of Year 2020
