Neri & Hu

Neri & Hu
Name	Neri & Hu
Founded	2004
Founders	Lyndon Neri; Rossana Hu
Headquarters	Shanghai, China; New York City, United States
Significant projects	Grey Magazine Office; House in a Garden; Fuxing Villa; Village in Songjiang; Waterhouse at South Bund Hotel
Awards	Design Vanguard; World Architecture Festival; Aga Khan Award; Dezeen Awards

Neri & Hu is an architecture and design practice founded in 2004 by Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu. The firm, headquartered in Shanghai with offices in New York City, engages in architecture, interior design, urban planning, product design, and research. Its work spans residential, cultural, commercial, hospitality, and public realm projects across Asia, Europe, and North America.

History and Formation

Lyndon Neri trained at University of Toronto, Carnegie Mellon University and worked with Kohn Pedersen Fox, Reid & Pellerin, and on projects associated with OMA before co-founding the practice. Rossana Hu studied at University of California, Berkeley, Harvard Graduate School of Design, and had collaborations with Arata Isozaki-related projects and research linked to MIT. The studio was established in Shanghai following engagements with Shanghai Expo 2010, commissions from Swire Properties, and cultural projects tied to West Bund Development. Early commissions included work for Minsheng Bank, Gulangyu Island conservation efforts, and interventions in districts related to Suzhou Creek and Xintiandi.

Notable Projects

Signature works include the adaptive reuse of the Waterhouse at South Bund Hotel, the design of the Grey Museum and the interior for MOCA Shanghai exhibitions. Residential commissions such as the House in a Garden, the Fuxing Villa and the Apartment on Moganshan Road illustrate their approach to heritage and contemporary living. Cultural projects comprise the Songjiang Village Reconstruction, the China Academy of Art installations, and the restoration of sites on Gulangyu Island. Commercial and hospitality projects include collaborations with Swire Hotels, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, and interventions in retail settings for Hermès, Gucci, and Dior. Urban and public realm work includes proposals for Shanghai International Financial Center, streetscape studies for Huangpu District, and masterplans linked to Suzhou Industrial Park and Nantong Cultural Quarter.

Design Philosophy and Influences

The practice synthesizes influences from Modernism, Chinese classical garden tradition, and the material poetics of firms like Tadao Ando and Sverre Fehn. Their projects reference historical precedents such as Lingnan architecture, Shikumen, and the adaptive strategies demonstrated by Conrad Hall-era preservation efforts and the conservation methods used at The Bund. Theoretical influences include writings from Rem Koolhaas, Kevin Lynch, Aldo Rossi, and Jane Jacobs, while material and craft dialogues connect to makers associated with Baccarat, Zaha Hadid Architects collaborations, and artisans from Jiangnan. They engage with sustainability discussions represented by agendas at LEED, China Green Building Council, and European conservation charters like the Venice Charter.

Awards and Recognition

The firm has been recognized by institutions including the American Institute of Architects and received accolades such as Architectural Record’s Design Vanguard, the World Architecture Festival awards, and shortlistings for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Other distinctions include honors from Dezeen Awards, Wallpaper* Design Awards, the Pritzker Prize conversations, commendations by ICOMOS-affiliated juries, and city-level awards from Shanghai Municipal Government and Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Bureau.

Academic and Teaching Activities

Founders and principals have held positions at Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, Princeton University School of Architecture, University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design, and guest lectures at ETH Zurich, Royal College of Art, Architectural Association School of Architecture, National University of Singapore, and Tsinghua University. They have participated in juries for programs at Yale School of Architecture, Cornell AAP, and international workshops hosted by World Monuments Fund and China Academy of Art.

Publications and Exhibitions

Monographs and catalogues about the practice have been published alongside exhibitions at institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art, Centre Pompidou, Victoria and Albert Museum, Shanghai Museum, Barbican Centre, and the National Art Museum of China. Their work has appeared in Domus, Architectural Review, Dezeen, Wallpaper*, Designboom, The Architect’s Newspaper, and periodicals including The New York Times, Financial Times, and South China Morning Post. The studio has contributed to edited volumes from Princeton Architectural Press, Lars Müller Publishers, and participated in biennales such as the Venice Biennale, Shenzhen Biennale, and Istanbul Biennial-adjacent programs.

Collaborations and Partnerships

Neri and Hu have collaborated with corporate and cultural partners including Swire Properties, H&M, Hermès, Gucci, Dior, Philips, B&B Italia, and Knoll. Institutional partnerships have involved China Academy of Art, World Monuments Fund, UNESCO-linked conservation projects, and municipal agencies like the Shanghai Cultural Heritage Administration. They have worked with design and engineering firms such as Arup, THDP, Atelier Ten, and creative studios including Nendo, Studiopepe, and Patricia Urquiola-associated teams.

Category:Architecture firms Category:Design studios