Nan Zheng Receives the Bronze A' Design Award for Hua Ting Hotel Shanghai Renovation in Interior Space and Exhibition Design

The international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Nan Zheng for interior space and exhibition design

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 23, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Bronze A' Design Award in the Interior Space and Exhibition Design category for Hua Ting Hotel Shanghai Renovation by Nan Zheng. The recognition forms part of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

The Bronze A' Design Award Explained

The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.

Regarding 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.

Award Record

This recognition makes Nan Zheng a winner of 2 A' Design Awards. The awards span the editions from 2022 - 2023 to 2025 - 2026 of the A' Design Award & Competition.

About the A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award

The A' Interior Design Award is an international interior design competition recognizing good interior designs by interior designers and architects worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to interior designers, interior architects, architects and decorators from all countries. Entries typically include residential interiors, restaurants, hotels, offices, galleries and retail stores. Awarded interior designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/interior

About A' Design Award & Competition

A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Winner Page: https://designers.org/180772
A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/180772
Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!180772
Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/337889

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project: Hua Ting Hotel Shanghai Renovation
Function: Renovation
Category: Interior Space and Exhibition Design
Discipline: Spatial Design
Industry: Architecture and Packaging & Retail
Colors: Dim Gray, Rosy Brown, Dark Olive Green, Gray and Dark Gray
Images: 5

The Recognition

Laureate: Nan Zheng
Country: China
Recognition: Bronze A' Design Award
Edition: 2025 - 2026
Design ID: #180772

Design Details

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.
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.
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.
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.
Realization and 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.
Operation and Interaction: 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.
Project Duration and Location: The project started in May 2024 and finalized in October, 2025 in Shanghai, China.
Specifications: 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.
Keywords: Adaptive Preservation, Shanghai-Style Modernism, Hotel Renovation, Heritage Reimagined, Hua Ting