Mandarin Oriental The Landmark by Neri&Hu: A Terracotta Tapestry in Hong Kong
A different presence among glass towers
Mandarin Oriental The Landmark stands in Hong Kong's dense Central district, where mirrored glass towers and busy commercial frontages shape much of the public realm. Neri&Hu's completed 2026 renovation addresses the hotel's exterior presence rather than claiming to redesign its guestrooms or other interior spaces. The architects created a new facade that contrasts with surrounding glass through craft, colour and the depth of terracotta.
The commission formed part of Hongkong Land's wider work on the Landmark complex. The original hotel identity had been partially lost within a larger pleated curtain wall, and the project occupied space formerly associated with the Harvey Nichols flagship. Rather than replace the site's existing geometry completely, the new exterior works with its inherited wedge-shaped massing and the structural conditions that could not be removed.
An existing commercial building re-clothed
Neri&Hu describes the inherited architectural frame as something that needed to be re-clothed. This idea transforms the facade from a flat commercial display surface into a more substantial architectural enclosure. The project preserves the slanting wedge of the lower levels but gives it a new material identity that is recognisably independent from the surrounding retail and office complex.
The theoretical reference is Gottfried Semper's understanding of the textile wall as one of the primary origins of architecture. Instead of treating enclosure only as the construction of a heavy load-bearing plane, the designers consider the wall as something that can be woven and layered. This concept informs the way individual ceramic components are arranged across the facade.
A rhythmic weave of terracotta
Custom cast and extruded terracotta tiles are formed with shallow curves and scalloped faces. Set in a staggered pattern, the pieces create a woven effect across the exterior. The original pleated curtain wall informs the pattern, but the new ceramic surface introduces more depth and shadow. From a distance, the building reads as a larger, almost textile-like mass; close up, the handcrafted modules become legible.
Bronze and luminous glass as accents
Each band of terracotta is supported by darkened bronze metal elements. Cast-glass tiles are inserted at selected locations rather than uniformly across the facade. Their occasional illumination after dark introduces small points of light within the more opaque ceramic surface, giving the exterior another character at night. The materials have distinct functions: terracotta creates mass and texture, bronze provides support and detail, and glass adds a controlled luminous rhythm.
An architectural identity rooted in making
The project is notable for resisting a purely technological glass aesthetic in one of Asia's most vertical financial districts. Its colour, depth and crafted surface offer an alternative way for a hotel to identify itself within an existing commercial structure. The Urban Tapestry demonstrates how a facade can use the language of masonry and textiles to create a new urban presence without erasing the memory of the building beneath it.
This article documents the completed exterior facade renovation only. It should not be interpreted as photographic coverage of new guestrooms, restaurants, suites or spa interiors, which are outside the documented scope of the selected Neri&Hu project gallery.
Project information and photography
Project: The Urban Tapestry | Mandarin Oriental The Landmark, 15 Queen's Road Central, Hong Kong SAR, China. Facade architecture: Neri&Hu Design and Research Office; commissioned by Hongkong Land. Completed May 2026. Materials: customised terracotta, darkened bronze and cast glass. Photography: Zhu Runzi. Each photograph is credited in its caption. Project scope: exterior facade and street frontage.
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