Old concrete cores, broken bricks and timber from abandoned mountain cabins now form the walls of a 24-room hotel. Chinese studio RooMoo built the Cloudhaus Hotel on Jinfo Mountain in Chongqing, China, creating a jinfo mountain hotel made almost entirely from reclaimed material.
The project started as a five-level former sales office. RooMoo kept the building’s original structure and filled it with reused building materials gathered from the surrounding mountain and nearby villages.
A building shaped by its site
The building stands 1,200 metres above sea level on the northern slope of the mountain. Its white-rendered facade is marked by eight projecting white frames that run vertically across each elevation.
Between the frames, the walls use bamboo panels and stone slabs. Timber details and sloping tiled roofs echo the traditional houses found in the region.
RooMoo did not order new materials for the hotel. The team toured abandoned wooden cabins and furniture workshops to find what could be reused, and the timber in the finished hotel came from those cabins.
Salvaged building parts can be just as striking at furniture scale, as seen in historic architectural fragments reborn as modern furniture that give old architecture a new purpose.
“Instead of relying solely on research, we planned most of our conceptual design time to explore the mountains for locally available materials and resources to respect the local environment,” the studio said.
Salvaged materials in the walls and ceilings
The most unusual feature is a set of walls built from concrete cores removed during structural renovation. The cores are stacked upright and held apart by dark metal supports.
Demolished red bricks found a second life in the restaurant. Elsewhere, the studio salvaged bamboo from construction scaffolding and sliced it into ribbons for ceiling cladding and outdoor paving.
On the lower level, the studio extended the base of the building into a podium that holds the restaurant. Diners move between indoor seating and outdoor terraces.
Stone walls, timber tables and woven chairs give the room a handmade character. Salvaged brick and scraps of bamboo appear across the surfaces, tying the dining space to the materials found on the mountain.
Guests reach the reception on the top floor of the mountain retreat. The route begins at an entrance courtyard and crosses a connecting bridge.
Behind the timber reception desk, a wall combines bamboo panels, woven surfaces and bamboo-shoot shells. The shells were harvested locally in the mountains.
Inside the jinfo mountain hotel
Above the lobby, an exposed pitched roof is lined with bamboo and held up by heavy timber beams. The rafters and beams give the space a strong, structural presence.
In the lounge, a large woven bamboo piece hangs overhead. Black sofas and tan leather chairs face full-height windows that look out over forested slopes.
The guestrooms fan out in a curved layout, so each room faces the mountain. The hotel offers courtyard rooms, suites and standard king rooms.
Earthy colours, salvaged timber and locally made furniture define the interiors. Each room draws on the same materials used in the shared spaces.
Reused structures also make cosy getaways, as in a rustic Ohio container retreat with forest views trading mountain salvage for woodland calm.
About the studio
Tao Zhang, Ray Zhang and Marine Bois founded RooMoo in Shanghai in 2017. The studio works on hospitality, restaurant, commercial, office and residential projects.
Its other recent interiors in China include a hotel designed by Linehouse with an industrial character. RooMoo also designed a tea shop in Shanghai that takes cues from the historic buildings of Rockbund.
H/T dezeen.com
Frequently asked questions
Who designed the Cloudhaus Hotel on Jinfo Mountain?
Chinese studio RooMoo built the Cloudhaus Hotel on Jinfo Mountain in Chongqing, China. The project started as a five-level former sales office that the studio converted.
What materials were used to construct the Cloudhaus Hotel’s walls?
The hotel was made almost entirely from reclaimed materials, including old concrete cores, broken bricks, and timber from abandoned mountain cabins. Bamboo panels and stone slabs were also used between the white-framed sections of the facade.
Where is the Cloudhaus Hotel located and how high is it?
The Cloudhaus Hotel stands on the northern slope of Jinfo Mountain in Chongqing, China. It sits 1,200 metres above sea level.
How many guestrooms does the Cloudhaus Hotel have?
The Cloudhaus Hotel has 24 rooms. The rooms fan out in a curved layout so that each one faces the mountain.
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