The new Orchid Hotel in Dashilar is the result of the renovation of a traditional courtyard house with certain historical value. The original layout presented a sequence of three courtyards surrounded by wooden-structure residential pavilions along a 60m long central axis. In recent years the site had been converted into a textile factory and the initial volumes were strongly altered.

Our intervention starts from the recovery of the main pavilions, which were relatively well preserved, and the demolition of all the recent additions. A new volume along the street gives direct access to the site and hosts the general services and public functions of the hotel, while another block provides three extra bedrooms deeper in the plot and defines two gardens of similar size.

The main building, organized on three floors, is “excavated” with the insertion of multiple skylights and a vertical garden that provide natural light and ventilation to the lower levels, while preserving the maximum privacy towards the neighbours. The original central axis has been removed and the main circulation has been relocated on the second floor along the West boundary of the plot, connecting the lobby with the two gardens and all the bedrooms. Such open-air elevated platform provides an unusual view over the roofs of the neighbourhood, providing the guests with a unique and surprising perspective of the hutongs.