Awarding-Winning Project Designed By Neri&Hu

The Relic Shelter - Fuzhou Teahouse is as much a story of renewal as it is heritage. Inspired by the historical heritage of the city of Fuzhou, Neri&Hu conceived an urban artefact that honours traditional culture and identity. This remarkable project has won multiple international awards, including the Gold Award for "Architecture, Best Heritage" at the A&D Awards 2022.

The challenge of this project was to create an enclosure for a Chinese artefact – the wooden structure of a Qing dynasty official’s residence, replete with decorative carvings and sophisticated joinery. Neri&Hu played subtly on the contrasts of bright and dark, light and heavy, coarse and refined, creating a modern tea house that retains a sense of nostalgia.

The original courtyard has been extended with a set of open and partially veiled seating areas separated by copper mesh screens. In the dedicated seating area, Mandarin Lounge Chairs, desgined by Neri&Hu for Stellar Works offer a sharp angles with gentle curving, accentuating the traditional architectural legacy.

__Lyndon Neri & Rossana Hu from Neri&Hu say: __

“Our design for the Mandarin series pays homage to the Art Deco influence on Shanghai in the 1930s, whose architectural legacy is still found in many parts of the city today. Inspired by the unique confluence of Western and Eastern ideologies during that time, the structure of the pieces takes cues from the expressed joinery and hierarchy of Chinese carpentry, but at the same time, breaks the rigidity of traditional imperial furniture with upright stiff backs and flat seats."