Revolutionizing Hospitality: The Humble House by Tao Wang

Award-winning hotel design offers a unique, interactive, and culturally immersive experience

The Humble House stands out for its innovative approach to hospitality. Tao Wang believes that hotels should offer diverse experiences, and with this in mind, he has created an open and interactive space. This design encourages travelers to connect with each other and learn more about the local Qingdao lifestyle. The hotel's design incorporates elements of local culture and a low-cost concept, offering a unique experience for young travelers.

One of the unique features of the Humble House is its use of natural, original, and low-cost materials such as wood, steel, and cement. This choice of materials creates a relaxing, back-to-nature feeling in the hotel space. The hotel spans three floors and covers 960 square meters, with a width of 14m, length of 23m, and height of 3.4m.

The Humble House offers a variety of interactive spaces. The main layout includes a sinking bar connected to the Hall, a long, fixed cement table, a sinking lounge area, and a public toilet. Tao Wang has envisioned a path for travelers who can spend the afternoon enjoying a cup of coffee or snacks at the cement table, having authentic Qingdao Beer at the bar, or even buying seafood from the local market to be cooked by the hotel. This design allows guests to fully immerse themselves in a typical “Qingdao day”.

The project, which began in January 2014 and was completed in April 2014, faced several challenges. The second and third floors were not originally designed as hotel rooms, necessitating many strengthening and adjustment works. Tao Wang overcame these challenges by creating a "free" concept with clean, pure white, open spaces that avoid unnecessary elements and colors. Despite space limitations and noise problems caused by running water and drainage, the closed configuration was replaced with an open layout.

The Humble House is a testament to Tao Wang's innovative approach to design. Despite a strictly limited budget, he has created a space that offers a rich and innovative experience for travelers. The use of relatively cheap materials and the creation of various space levels have resulted in a design that provides travelers with an original experience. This unique approach to hotel design has earned the Humble House the Golden A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award in 2015, a testament to Tao Wang's prodigy and wisdom in design.