Art deco restoration features brass spiral staircase

Project: Revive the Ruins - Somekh Building Renovation

Award: Adaptive Reuse - Small, Silver, 2023

Location: Shanghai, China

Architect: SHISUO design office

Client: Somekh Building Office

Somekh Building is in the Bund in Shanghai, a protected historical area in the centre of the city. Originally built in the 1920s, it required careful restoration as well as the creation of new space to meet the building’s current functional requirements. 

A new ceiling in the exhibition space retains the characteristics of the original beam structure while a brass spiral staircase connects the first-floor exhibition space with the hotel lounge on the second floor. A third-floor atrium features restored pilaster and arched windows.

Design highlights

In the entrance foyer on the first floor, the severely damaged floor has been repaired. The new entrance door is inspired by the Art-Deco style buildings on the Bund while a newly installed brass chandelier illuminates the star-shape concrete beams on the ceiling.

Photo credit: Zhu Runzi; SHISUO design office; Atkinson & Dallas Co. Ltd