Emperor Qianmen Hotel | asap/ adam sokol architecture practice

The site of the Emperor Hotel, Qianmen was once occupied by a public bath and so the spirit of bathing and mystery will live on in the new hotel. The design is organized not by spaces and circulation but by emotions and dreams; not by materials and details but by illusions and memories. From the l’Occitane Spa below ground to Beijing’s largest hotel roof bar above, the Emperor will offer visitors and residents alike a new public space and a new experience of the historic city. The design is infused throughout with water; from the pool cantilevered above the rooftop, it flows out and rains down, cascading through the hotel in a series of interior channels; dripping down threads from which hang floating plants; drizzling in a 15m interior rainfall and eventually plummeting down to an underground waterfall in the heart of a hidden spa. Guest rooms are designed to provide visitors with a peaceful respite from the energy of Beijing. Each room is uniquely designed with the goal of providing guests with a distinctive, unique and memorable experience.