Shangri-La Shougang Park Slated for Development in Beijing

A swath of Beijing’s Shougang Park will be redeveloped to accommodate the 282-room Shangri-La Shougang Park, Beijing hotel. Led by Milan-based architecture and design practice Lissoni Casal Ribeiro, the hotel will occupy the transformed volumes of a. former industrial site to form a larger complex. The project is slated for completion in time for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. For the hotel’s main building, the existing structural framework will be maintained—revealing a shell of concrete walls and steel roof trusses. A glass-clad façade will control the light and temperature inside, and a contemporary winter garden will be installed. The hotel’s ground floor will be conceived as a large square activated by a perimeter of F&B venues, while a mezzanine on the first floor will recall a nest—with a wood composition that houses reception and a spacious lounge. Both spaces will feature expansive greenery, custom furnishings, and art installations to infuse a contemporary ethos across the property. “It’s fascinating how an old power plant can be transformed into the lobby of a hotel, a place where people from the world over can gather around a table sharing cultures and ideas,” says Miguel Casal Ribeiro, principal partner of Lissoni Casal Ribeiro. “We simply designed a glass enclosure around the existing structure, and we let the mystical nature of this place take the leading role.” Connected to the main building via an elevator bridge, another structure divided into three different horizontal layers will house guestrooms. The building’s ground floor will be equipped with terraces and cantilevered canopies, while a more compact second layer and a large canopy that floats to the roof will round out its distinctive form. The guestrooms building will feature a less industrial aesthetic in order to promote physical and visual comfort. Brick and natural materials will punctuate the exterior, while the interior of the accommodations will be characterized by muted tones and warm materials that draw upon local design traditions.