The Waterhouse at South Bund

The 19-room boutique hotel occupies a three-storey concrete building from the 1930s on a working dock facing the river. The China-based design team built the renovation on a clear contrast between old and new.

The original concrete structure was restored, while the additions, including a new fourth floor, are made of Cor-ten steel. The weathered metal recalls the industrial past of the docks and the ships that still pass along the water.

Inside, the boundaries between interior and exterior, public and private, are blurred and at times inverted. A tall window above the reception looks into a guest room, and corridor windows overlook the dining room, so that guests meet unexpected views much like those found in the city’s tight lanes.