Neri & Hu receives 'Emerging Architecture Award' for the Waterhouse

Designers of The Waterhouse at South Bund hotel in Shanghai were awarded the prestigious 'Architectural Review Emerging Architecture Award 2010' by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

Shanghai-based designers, Neri&Hu Design and Research Office (NHDRO), was given the recognition for refurbishing a 1930s building located on the banks of the Huangpu River and in the vicinity of the 2010 World Expo (Puxi) site.

Winners of a number of domestic and international awards, Neri & Hu provides unique architectural and design services and have often been recognized as the epitome of modern Chinese aesthetics.

Acclaimed projects by the firm includes Legation Quarter in Beijing, Y+ Yoga in Xintiandi, Shanghai, The China House at the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok and the Design Republic flagship retail store, which was bestowed the DFA (Design for Asia) Best Design Award.

The Emerging Architecture Awards was founded by RIBA in the year 1999 to celebrate and award new ideas in the industry. Over the years, the program has become quite popular with young architects from across the world as it provides them a unique platform to showcase their ideas and designs.

The entire designing concept of The Waterhouse was based on a blurring or an inversion of internal & external spaces, creating a disorienting yet refreshing spatial experience for guests in search of something out of the ordinary.

The structuring of the place was done in such a manner that the glimpses of the inner space can be got from public areas while at the same time allowing guests to take a peek into the exteriors from the private spaces.