HOTEL REVIEW
ABOVE LEFT: The lobby in the new extension building ABOVE RIGHT: The living room of the Waldorf Suite. Fabric suppliers include Coil Interior Material, Housetint, with carpet by Haima Group and furniture by Freeman Contracting, Haixiang Contracting, and Hopo Bright. Lighting is from Kalmar Lighting, and Kailai Lighting
building to its former glory, HBA|Hirsch
Bedner Associates’ Singapore office led the interior design to ensure that both buildings would work together cohesively. “This property is one of three purpose built hotels in the world for Waldorf Astoria,” notes Dirk de Cuyper, the hotel’s General Manager. As the brand’s first entry into China, the heritage building along the Bund was simply not big enough to house all of the necessary facilities. A new building was a given, yet it had to fit into the existing Bund architecture. “Out of respect for the historic building, the
tower complements the preservation of the Shanghai Club, but does not attempt to mimic its style,” says Jack Portman, Vice-Chairman and CEO of John Portman & Associates. “It was important to maintain the integrity of the waterfront of the historic Bund district. The programme called for a guestroom tower, but great care was taken in the design and positioning of the tower so that its height does not dominate the historic club. Standing at street level, the focus is on the façade while the tower, by design, blends into the backdrop of the city. The grand plaza in between the buildings functionally and visually links the two.”
One of the ways that Portman integrated 118 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2011
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the Waldorf Astoria’s brand identity into the addition’s DNA was through the linkage spaces. The courtyard above the Grand Brasserie was intended to be an open public space right in the heart of the city. “Landscaping and water features complement the various functions and enhance the sensory experience of the open space environment,” explains Portman. “To functionally link the new wing to the historic building, enclosed space is provided at ground level and one level below grade. Terraced stairs lead from the ground level to the open public space of the roof garden above.” HBA also had to deliver two sides of
a coin: its brief for the heritage building was to restore the architectural elements back to their original lustre, yet modern amenities such as air-conditioning had to be incorporated in an unobtrusive manner. Furnishings and decorative elements were residential and traditional. For the new tower, HBA opted for a clean, transitional design that combines Portman’s strong architecture with the heritage building’s existing interiors. The result is a distinctly American feeling of luxury, with rich woods, sumptuous fabrics and lines that lean towards the conservative. “We are rather proud of resurrecting
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