Building by design goes classic

Many buildings are bulldozed to make way for redevelopment, but the structures can actually avoid the wrecking ball and be improved through a better expression of history and culture with modern art.

That idea of focusing on the "emotional resonance" of space, beyond its functionality, was one of the takeaways from an urban design conference in late September in Beijing.

The event, hosted by the Elle Decoration magazine with manufacturing company Kohler at the Chao Hotel in the capital's Sanlitun area, involved four professional hotel designers from Hong Kong, as well as Singapore and the United States, discussing the latest developments in the industry.