The last time I visited Shanghai was in 2011 to meet architects Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu. Their firm Neri&Hu Design & Research Office (NHDRO) was steadily gaining attention after having designed The Waterhouse at South Bund hotel, an unconventional hotel developed by Singapore’s Unlisted Collection (it is now under Shanghai Hotels).
The architecture firm went on to create many hospitality works like The Shanghai Edition, Alila Bangsar in Kuala Lumpur and the upcoming Andaz Taipei. Neri and Hu grew up in the United States but established their firm in Shanghai in 2004. Their success reflects the city’s graceful growth. This was what I had come to explore.
“Shanghai exhales, and in its breath blooms a quieter renaissance. Gone are the days of frantic expansion; now, the city’s pulse beats in converted lane-house galleries, micro-roasteries and designer collectives,” shared Neri when I asked him to describe the city now. “Like Berlin after reunification, Shanghai’s suspended moment reveals patterns more precious than towers – a civilisation remembering how to make meaning before it makes more.”
LUXURY SHIKUMEN STAY
Capella Shanghai, Jian Ye Li is one such meaningful treasure. Designed by the late-Jaya Ibrahim, it is a unique hotel, with only 55 villas in restored shikumen townhouses that were popular living compounds in the 1930s for Shanghai’s middle and upper class in the low-rise Hengfu Historic and Cultural Area.
Each four-storey villa enjoys a charming entry courtyard. Windows open to birdsong, and the brick-and-stone facades offer timeless photographic backdrops. New Shikumen-style blocks containing the reception, amenities and Auriga Spa form a courtyard, fronted by the F&B block facing maple-lined pedestrian-friendly streets that make this a real neighbourhood spot.
