Taoxichuan Hotel by David Chipperfield Architects and Interiors by AIM Architecture.

The Chinese city of Jingdezhen is known as the birthplace of porcelain–a legacy it has managed to preserve for over a thousand years. “From translucent whites to glazed greens and blues; from the Silk Road to the kilns, porcelain isn’t just a product here; it’s an art form, a way of being,” says Wendy Saunders, co-founder and principal architect at Shanghai-based AIM Architecture. So when it came to turning a David Chipperfield three-volume building into a cultural destination property for The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, the first thing that came to the designers’ mind was how to “first finish the architecture”.

The answer, it appeared, lay in extending the brick facades into the interior, “thereby using the architecture instead of replacing it,” says Vincent de Graaf, principal architect and co-founder with Saunders.

Related: AZL Architects Renovate An Old Kiln Building in the Chinese Forest in Jingdezhen.

When you enter the hotel, there’s no mistaking its heritage. Everywhere you look, porcelain shines in some form or another, doffing its hat to the various stages of its evolution in China and beyond. The lobby, for example, is aptly christened ‘Origin’; and the spatial order continues in the lounge, ballroom, all–day dining room, and spa, which respectively go by the names ‘Creation’, ‘Discovery’, ‘Fascination’ and ‘Appreciation’.

“Each space explores and uses ceramic differently, putting up different colours and textures. The project seeks to unite rawness and refinement, turning ceramics into architecture, interiors and furniture,” says de Graaf.

Related: Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum in Jingdezhen Shi, China by Studio Zhu-Pei.

The museum-esque display promises to dazzle even the most reluctant of museum-goers. The reason? Eye-popping attractions in each of the three volumes: Celadon glazing graces the lounge, while striking cobalt enlivens the restaurant and spa; in the meeting room and ballroom, transparent porcelain looks as light as air. “What is marble in a standard hotel is porcelain in this one,” says Saunders.

The three volumes are connected by an arterial street “inspired by the fire kilns that bake the porcelain”. Stop and look around and you’ll feel like you’re in a real-life atelier: Black tones evoke searing charcoal, whereas roof lights recall the powerful heat of the kilns.

The guest rooms are restrained yet rustic, with clay tones and canvas-like walls. “They allow guests to return, retreat and refresh amidst unglazed and more workshop-like textures,” says de Graaf.

Related: AIM Architecture Blurs Indoor & Outdoor Boundaries at this Mini Department Store in Shanghai.

[Images courtesy of AIM Architecture. Photography by Wen Studio.]