The Upper House: André Fu's Quiet Composition Above Hong Kong
Opened in 2009 above Pacific Place in Hong Kong's Admiralty district, The Upper House is a study in the relationship between a busy urban setting and a composed interior. André Fu's design draws its identity from natural materials, balanced geometry and spaces with a residential sensibility. The hotel makes its position above the city part of a gradual change in scale and atmosphere.
Its identity emerges through the careful coordination of ordinary elements: the proportion of a room, the position of a seat, the texture of a wall and the space given to a view. Those decisions suggest that a hotel can establish a strong identity through the consistency of its spatial language. [1] [3]
An upward sequence
The hotel describes its organizing idea as an upward journey. Its 117 rooms sit within a sequence that begins at the city and develops through increasingly private spaces. At the entrance, the stone-curtain facade is by Thomas Heatherwick, a separate architectural contribution that should be distinguished from Fu's interior work.
That sequence gives arrival a narrative structure. Moving upward creates a series of opportunities to change the visitor's focus, from the immediate activity of the street toward a room and its outlook. The sequence also changes the scale of attention: large urban surroundings gradually give way to spaces where material, furniture and individual movement become more prominent. [2]
Material as a continuous language
Fu's studio identifies bamboo, lacquered panels, original sculptures and carefully balanced geometry among the elements of the project. The hotel's own account emphasizes limestone, warm timber and a restrained palette. Together, these choices establish a recognizable material vocabulary across different kinds of space.
The contrast between stone, wood and lacquer gives the interiors enough variation to reward attention while retaining a coherent tone. Sculpture adds another register of form within that composition. The composition depends on the relationships among its elements: smooth and textured surfaces, solid objects and surrounding space, repeated materials and particular moments of emphasis. Each element gains character through its placement alongside the others. [1] [3]
Room for everyday rituals
The Studio 70 provides a concrete example of the hotel's priorities. Currently listed at 68 square meters, the room includes a separate dressing area, a freestanding bath and a walk-in rain shower. The official description pairs bamboo tones with mountain or harbor outlooks, connecting the room's close material scale with the wider setting.
These details reveal how the domestic idea operates in the plan. Dressing, bathing and resting each receive a defined place, giving daily routines room to unfold. A generous bathroom also changes the balance of attention within a hotel room: it becomes a space to spend time in, with its own atmosphere and proportions. The allocation of space and clarity of use give these daily rituals a generous and considered setting. [4]
A shared room in the sky
On the 49th floor, the Sky Lounge extends that residential language into a communal setting. The hotel records a 115-square-meter space with four-meter ceilings, a central fireplace and hillside views. Its combination of height and a familiar domestic focal point gives the lounge a distinctive balance of openness and intimacy.
The Upper House brings those different scales into a legible whole. The city supplies the panorama; the interior establishes places for arrival, conversation and rest. Fu's contribution is to make that transition feel considered at each stage. Proportion and a disciplined material palette carry the identity of this large hospitality commission, bringing continuity to the sequence from arrival to the privacy of a guestroom. [5] [1]
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Sources and project credits
Photo credits and reuse permissions for these official studio images are pending individual confirmation. The editorial text is preserved from the existing longer draft.
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