Hua Ting Hotel Shanghai ᱵᱷᱤᱛᱨᱤ ᱱᱟᱶᱟ ᱵᱮᱱᱟᱣ by Nan Zheng is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award ᱠᱟᱥᱟ ᱯᱩᱨᱚᱥᱠᱟᱨ in ᱵᱷᱤᱛᱨᱤ ᱡᱟᱭᱜᱟ ᱟᱨ ᱯᱨᱚᱫᱟᱨᱥᱚᱱᱤ ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱ Competition Category.
ᱠᱟᱥᱟᱵᱷᱤᱛᱨᱤ· 2026
Hua Ting Hotel Shanghai ᱵᱷᱤᱛᱨᱤ ᱱᱟᱶᱟ ᱵᱮᱱᱟᱣ
by Nan Zheng
A' Design Award ᱠᱟᱥᱟ ᱯᱩᱨᱚᱥᱠᱟᱨ Winner in ᱵᱷᱤᱛᱨᱤ Category
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About Hua Ting Hotel Shanghai ᱵᱷᱤᱛᱨᱤ ᱱᱟᱶᱟ ᱵᱮᱱᱟᱣ
Hua Ting Hotel Shanghai ᱫᱚ 1983 ᱥᱮᱨᱢᱟ ᱨᱮ ᱢᱟᱲᱟᱝ ᱠᱷᱩᱞᱟᱹᱣ ᱟᱠᱟᱱ ᱢᱤᱫ ᱦᱚᱴᱮᱞ ᱨᱮᱭᱟᱜ ᱵᱷᱤᱛᱨᱤ ᱱᱟᱶᱟ ᱵᱮᱱᱟᱣ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ᱾ ᱚᱲᱟᱜ ᱨᱮᱭᱟᱜ ᱪᱤᱱᱦᱟᱹ ᱥᱟᱶ ᱡᱚᱲᱟᱣ ᱡᱤᱱᱤᱥᱠᱚ ᱫᱚᱦᱚ ᱟᱠᱟᱱᱟ, ᱡᱟᱦᱟᱸ ᱨᱮ ᱨᱤᱥᱮᱯᱥᱚᱱ ᱰᱮᱥᱠ ᱠᱟᱸᱛᱷ, ᱞᱟᱛᱟᱨ ᱡᱟᱭᱜᱟ ᱟᱨ ᱥᱟᱫᱷᱟᱨᱚᱱ ᱠᱟᱹᱢᱤ ᱥᱟᱡᱟᱣ ᱢᱮᱱᱟᱜᱼᱟ᱾ ᱞᱚᱵᱤ ᱨᱮ ᱢᱤᱫ ᱵᱮᱸᱠᱟ ᱜᱩᱰᱟᱹ ᱥᱤᱲᱤ ᱢᱮᱱᱟᱜᱼᱟ ᱡᱟᱦᱟᱸ ᱨᱮ ᱠᱟᱹᱪ ᱦᱮᱸᱰᱨᱮᱞ ᱢᱮᱱᱟᱜᱼᱟ ᱟᱨ ᱧᱤᱫᱟᱹ ᱨᱮ ᱞᱚᱥᱚᱫ ᱢᱟᱹᱨᱥᱟᱹᱞᱚᱜᱼᱟ᱾ ᱞᱟᱛᱟᱨ ᱫᱟᱜ ᱯᱩᱠᱷᱨᱤ ᱫᱚ ᱥᱠᱨᱤᱱ ᱦᱟᱹᱴᱤᱧ ᱥᱟᱶ ᱢᱤᱫ ᱥᱩᱥᱟᱹᱨ ᱢᱤᱫᱩᱱ ᱡᱟᱭᱜᱟ ᱨᱮ ᱵᱚᱫᱚᱞ ᱟᱠᱟᱱᱟ, ᱡᱟᱦᱟᱸ ᱩᱠᱩ ᱛᱟᱦᱮᱸᱱ ᱮᱢᱚᱜᱼᱟ᱾ ᱪᱤᱱᱦᱟᱹ ᱟᱨᱟᱜ ᱨᱚᱝ ᱫᱚᱦᱚ ᱟᱠᱟᱱᱟ ᱟᱨ ᱞᱚᱞᱚ ᱠᱮᱨᱟᱢᱮᱞ ᱨᱚᱝ ᱥᱟᱶ ᱢᱮᱥᱟ ᱟᱠᱟᱱᱟ᱾ 1983 ᱥᱮᱨᱢᱟ ᱨᱮ ᱚᱰᱚᱠ ᱟᱠᱟᱱ ᱢᱤᱫ ᱫᱷᱤᱨᱤ ᱨᱮ ᱚᱱᱟ ᱥᱮᱨᱢᱟ ᱠᱷᱚᱫᱟᱭ ᱟᱠᱟᱱᱟ ᱟᱨ ᱢᱤᱫ ᱟᱨᱴᱣᱟᱨᱠ ᱞᱮᱠᱟ ᱩᱫᱩᱜ ᱟᱠᱟᱱᱟ᱾
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award ᱠᱟᱥᱟ ᱯᱩᱨᱚᱥᱠᱟᱨ
Hua Ting Hotel Shanghai ᱵᱷᱤᱛᱨᱤ ᱱᱟᱶᱟ ᱵᱮᱱᱟᱣ ᱫᱚ A' Design Award ᱠᱟᱥᱟ ᱯᱩᱨᱚᱥᱠᱟᱨ ᱧᱟᱢ ᱟᱠᱟᱱᱟ, ᱱᱚᱶᱟ ᱫᱚ ᱱᱟᱣᱟ ᱵᱷᱟᱵᱱᱟ ᱛᱮ ᱵᱷᱟᱞᱟᱭ ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱ ᱠᱚ ᱞᱟᱹᱜᱤᱫ ᱮᱢ ᱟᱠᱟᱱ ᱥᱚᱢᱟᱱ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ᱾ ᱱᱚᱶᱟ ᱠᱚ ᱫᱚ ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱᱟᱨ ᱠᱚ ᱨᱮᱭᱟᱜ ᱵᱷᱟᱵᱱᱟ ᱟᱨ ᱵᱷᱟᱞᱟᱭ ᱠᱟᱢᱤ ᱡᱷᱟᱞᱠᱟᱣ ᱠᱚ᱾ Hua Ting Hotel Shanghai ᱵᱷᱤᱛᱨᱤ ᱱᱟᱶᱟ ᱵᱮᱱᱟᱣ ᱫᱚ ᱠᱚᱞᱟ, ᱣᱤᱜᱭᱟᱱ, ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱ ᱟᱨ ᱴᱮᱠᱱᱚᱞᱚᱡᱤ ᱨᱮᱭᱟᱜ ᱥᱤᱢᱟ ᱵᱟᱲᱦᱟᱣ ᱟᱨ ᱫᱩᱱᱤᱭᱟ ᱵᱷᱟᱞᱟᱭ ᱞᱟᱹᱜᱤᱫ ᱜᱚᱲᱚ ᱮᱢ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ᱾
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- 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.
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