A collection of historic and new buildings in the ancient center of Yangzhou, China, has been seamlessly integrated into an innovative hotel complex by local architecture firms BLUE Architecture Studio and the Urban Architecture Lab at Southeast University. The project, named Jiangnan House Yangzhou Guangling, represents a significant achievement in adaptive reuse and urban renewal within the historic Guangling Ancient City district.
The ambitious hotel development spans a 4,250-square-meter site and features 40 guest rooms distributed across multiple structures that blend retrofitted historic buildings with carefully designed new construction. The complex is part of a broader urban renewal program aimed at revitalizing Yangzhou's historic center by introducing modern hospitality uses while preserving the area's cultural heritage and traditional architectural character.
Guests enter the hotel through a repurposed former cinema that now serves as the main lobby, showcasing the project's commitment to adaptive reuse. The cinema's original Art Deco facade, soaring ceilings, and timber roof structure have been carefully preserved and integrated into the new design. The lobby space centers around a distinctive rocky tree garden surrounded by comfortable bar and cafe seating areas, creating an inviting transition space between the street and the hotel's interior courtyards.
The architectural approach emphasizes respect for the site's original urban fabric, with timber-framed, brick, and concrete structures organized around intimate small courtyards that maintain the traditional layout patterns of the old town. "The design's core concept is to respect and innovatively express Yangzhou's traditional culture and history, with its language focusing on local cultural and architectural symbols," explained Shuhei Aoyama, founder of BLUE Studio. "From overall layout to spatial, material, and detail design, it centers on local culture, balancing two key aspects: honoring traditional culture while expressing its symbols through modern design methods."
Among the new additions to the site is a striking VIP room and private restaurant housed within a distinctive gabled concrete structure. This building features a slight overhang and sits perched on a brick boundary wall, creating a dramatic architectural statement. The concrete exterior was cast using bamboo molds to create a richly textured finish that references Yangzhou's famous bamboo gardens, while the ground floor walls incorporate recycled bricks, creating what Aoyama describes as "a dialogue between history and modernity."
To the north of the main complex, architects updated a smaller residential block with a contemporary facade of thin metal bars. Adjacent to this structure, a newly constructed sauna building cleverly mimics the appearance of surrounding traditional buildings but incorporates a modern split roof design with an integrated skylight that floods the interior with natural light.
On the western portion of the site, a modern multi-story concrete building has been enhanced with a screening system of metal bars that provides both privacy and climate control. This building houses larger suite accommodations, each with direct access to private small courtyard gardens that offer guests intimate outdoor spaces within the urban setting.
Throughout the complex, BLUE Studio developed a cohesive interior design scheme that unifies the diverse buildings while celebrating their individual characteristics. The design team retained and exposed areas of historic timber structure wherever possible, complementing these authentic elements with carefully selected warm materials and richly textured surfaces that reference traditional local crafts and building techniques.
"Guest room interiors use natural materials – wood, stone, handmade bricks, textured plaster, laminated glass – to retain authentic textures and the historic buildings' atmosphere," Aoyama noted. "The design also blends Yangzhou's traditional crafts – woodblock carving, bronze-making – via decorations like hand-hewn wood, distressed copper panels, and woodblock prints, honoring local culture."
The Jiangnan House Yangzhou Guangling project joins a growing number of sensitive adaptive reuse hospitality projects across China that demonstrate how historic districts can be revitalized while maintaining their cultural authenticity. Similar recent projects include WATG and Wimberly Interiors' hotel complex in Dangkou Ancient Town in Wuxi, which created structures referencing historic courtyard houses, and NeriHu's "urban oasis" design for Artyzen New Bund 31 in Shanghai, showing the increasing sophistication of China's approach to heritage preservation through adaptive reuse.
