After over two years, Block C and Block D of the Beijing Hotel have completed internal reinforcement, mechanical and electrical renovation and decoration renewal at the end of last year, involving an area of 15,000 square meters. The two 70-year-old buildings have been revitalized. Preparations for their reopening are now underway.
Located at the intersection of East Chang'an Street and Wangfujing Commercial Street, Beijing Hotel is a famous century-old hotel built at the beginning of the last century. In 1954, following the first diplomatic wave in China, Beijing Hotel underwent its first expansion since the founding of the People's Republic of China. It built a new 7-story building on the original site to the west, which is now known as Beijing Hotel Block C and Block D.
"During the past 68 years, Beijing Hotel has undergone several renovations. Among them, the most recent renovation of Block C and Block D was in around 2000, mainly focusing on reinforcement. After many years, the internal facilities of the buildings gradually lagged behind and needed to be further reinforced and upgraded urgently." Li Jia, the person in charge of China Railway Construction Group's mechanical and electrical company and Beijing Hotel renovation project, said.
From August 2019, the renovation and renewal works of Blocks C and D began. During the period, the golden halls on the first floor of Block C and D are open to the public normally, and the construction is carried out on the 2nd floor and above. As the buildings are old, the renovation is centered on reinforcement and the facade of the buildings remains unchanged. The interior decoration part was removed and workers re-clad all the beams and columns with steel and reinforced the floor with carbon fiber. In order to reduce the load of the building, lightweight and load-bearing elevated flooring was also chosen.
At the same time, the ventilation and air conditioning, water supply and drainage, and strong and weak electrical systems have been completely updated. The air conditioning equipment in the guest rooms is 20 years old, with only two layers of filters. The technical team updated it according to the usage function and added electrostatic dust removal filtration and humidifying film. It not only ensures the energy-saving effect of air conditioning, but also effectively controls the humidity and cleanliness of the room. In addition, when updating the revolving staircase in Block C, the original wood veneer on the wall around the staircase was replaced with an aluminum panel veneer, and a wood grain treatment was done on the surface to fit the original classical style of the Beijing Hotel.
The 7th floor of Block C is the location of the traditional governmental dish Tan's Cuisine, and how to recreate the style of the century-old restaurant? By integrating craftsmanship with skill, the project team deepened the design again and again during the construction. The interior of Tan's Cuisine has a lot of decorations, and some of them are oversized. They deeply understood the history of Tan's Cuisine and the characteristics of the dishes. Based on the previous decoration style of Tan's Cuisine, they carefully studied the materials and patterns of the doors, mirrors, lights, tables and walls, and completely replaced them with new ones. Finally, an ancient and elegant interior landscape has been created.
After more than two years of construction, the renovation and renewal project of Blocks C and D has been completed at the end of December 2021. Currently, preparations for reopening are underway. Soon, a safe and fresh Beijing Hotel Block C and D will be presented in front of the public in a modern, convenient and elegant style.
Translated by LIU Yu
