Design Highlight
Hua Shan Din by Cosmos Creation – A guided tour of the ‘Preserving Hua Shan 1950’
Hotel Theme Design Highlight
1. Winner of the GOOD DESIGN AWARD: Customized Design Hotel
Standing out among 5,835 international submissions, HUA SHAN DIN by Cosmos Creation is the only customized design hotel in Taiwan to be honored with the GOOD DESIGN AWARD. Embracing the ideals of “Discover, Share and Create” that align with the spirit of the GOOD DESIGN AWARD, the hotel is dedicated to providing attentive service that makes every guest feel cared for and cherished. We aspire to present the unique “Hotel Theme Experience” to travelers from around the world.
☆Recognition and Prestige
2023 Outstanding Tourism Enterprises by Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications
2021 GOOD DESIGN AWARD
2019 Taipei Old Building New Life Awards, Online Popularity Award
2. Architectural History
One of the unique aspects of the hotel is the historical significance of its architecture. The slab and column concrete architecture does not use beams, only columns to support the structural weight. Such architectural design is simple, elegant, and allows the optimal flow of light and air. The beamless design also affords greater freedom in the design of the interior space, which can be used as a warehouse, a mall or a storage facility.
The columns of the slab and column concrete architecture have capitals to help bear the weight of the structure. There are three types of capitals: Doric, Iconic and Corinthian, and they are usually half the thickness of the slab. Hua Shan Din by Cosmos Creation has Greek Doric capitals, which are simple and elegant, and are wholly preserved during hotel renovation to showcase the unique architectural characteristics.
3. Exterior Iron Grilles
Hua Shan Din by Cosmos Creation was formerly a warehouse for the First Commercial Bank, and it also housed the stock trading company for the same bank. Because it housed a bank vault in the old days, all the windows of the building have double iron grilles for security, which can only open from the inside. The building also comes with the original vents specially designed for airflow. All of these historic details were preserved during hotel renovation as witness to its past.
4. Arched entrance and pebble concrete flooring
The tower area within the Hua Shan 1914 Creative Park is a designated historical site with unique architectural characteristics of arched windows and pebble concrete exterior, and was formerly used for rice wine fermentation. Hua Shan Din by Cosmos Creation incorporated these historical elements into its design concept by highlighting the matching arched doors with pebble concrete flooring as the first impression upon entrance.
5. HUA SHAN DIN by Cosmos Creation x Art exhibitions
Ever since its opening, HUA SHAN DIN by Cosmos Creation has been deeply involved in the arts. Its close proximity to the Huashan 1914 Creative Park allows the hotel to tap into the abundant local artistic resources, extending the artistic experience to its premises. The hotel’s open lobby serves as a dedicated exhibition space, showcasing a diverse range of exhibitions every three months. Additionally, the exhibition information is displayed in all guest rooms, creating an immersive artistic atmosphere for the visitors. Over the years, the hotel has hosted a wide range of creative expressions, including photography, ceramics, sketches, collages, paintings and scene models.
Since the inaugural exhibition in 2018, artists have been invited to interweave their exhibitions using the hotel’s “architecture” and “character IP” as the media. Over time, the hotel has cherished a collection of works by esteemed masters, encompassing a spectrum of styles from flat slab designs to the playful creation of HUA SHAN DIN by Cosmos Creation—Baobby. These artistic endeavors have become treasured assets for the hotel.
6. Vault door on the first floor, small vault in staircase leading up to the second floor
As a former warehouse of the First Commercial Bank and the office of a stock trading company, the Hua Shan Din by Cosmos Creation hotel site housed a large vault on the second floor, as well as a smaller vault in the first to second floor staircase for easy access. These vaults date back to nearly 70 years, and are preserved during hotel renovation for their historical significance. The large vault door is relocated to the ground floor with added details of shelving and gold bricks, and has become a popular photo backdrop.
7. Credit card style room key, Hua Shan Din gold coin, bank vault handle, key shaped ‘Do no disturb’ sign, check style memo pad, bookkeeping style memo pad
As a result of its banking past, the hotel is aiming to provide a unique ‘hotel + banking’ themed experience by offering a variety of practical designs, such as room keys that resemble credit cards, the Hua Shan Din gold coin, the in-room ‘Preserving Hua Shan 1950’ gold mugs for guest use, bank vault door handles, key shaped ‘Do no disturb’ sign, check style memo pads, bookkeeping style memo pads, gold bricks, etc.
As part of the hotel stay experience, guests will receive a unique credit card shaped room key upon check-in, as well as ‘Hua Shan Din cold coins’ according to room type and number of guests. The gold coins must be deposited into a special wine barrel in the morning for breakfast, and the hostess will then place a gold brick on your table to reserve your seats.
8.Mascot Baobby
The tough looking Baobby is full of thoughtful consideration as he collects the precious memories of the journey for each traveler.
Bobi, the hotel mascot, comes in 3 different colors: dark green, pink, and pastel yellow. It can be spotted throughout the hotel in different shapes and styles. On the mascot, you will find 10 different year entries, each represents a milestone in the evolution of the hotel group:
1914: The first production of the ‘Butterfly Orchid Sake’ in Hua Shan
1922: Taipei addresses adopted the use of Japanese ‘Ding’
1946: The First Commercial Bank became one of the three major public banks that helped to restore the economy
1950: Marked as the year for Hua Shan Din by Cosmos Creation’s design theme, ‘Preserving Hua Shan 1950’
1952: The First Commercial Bank constructed its Taipei warehouse on the current hotel site
1979: Cosmos Hotel grand opening, the first hotel under the Cosmos Hotels and Resorts Group
1997: The Jing-Zhi Theater Club performed in Hua Shan, which pushed the art society to re-utilize the Taipei Brewery site.
1999: The ‘Hua Shan Special Art Zone’ was officially designated
2016: Birth of the Cosmos Creation brand
2018: Grand opening of Hua Shan Din by Cosmos Creation
9. Hua Shan Din Cafe x Bar restaurant with retro English pub style
Because Hua Shan Creative Park was formerly a Sake distillery during Japanese occupation, Hua Shan Din Cafe x Bar ’s design concept followed closely to its roots. Its decor is in the style of a retro English pub, and it offers unique cocktail options using base liquor steeped in the island’s indigenous fruits, such as the ‘Fragrant Mojito’ served in a Japanese style rice bowl. Hua Shan Din Cafe x Bar also offers a spectacular view of the building’s unique architecture of 4 fee high exposed ceiling with plain funnel topped beans.
10. Unique guest room furniture design that incorporates the hotel name’s Chinese characters
The hotel name’s Chinese characters of Hua Shan Din are cleverly deconstructed and incorporated into guest room designs. Look closely, and you will find the desk area displays the ‘Hua’ character lines, the ‘Shan’ character above the TV set, and the ‘Ding’ character displayed over the open closet with the safe placed in the spot of the ‘field’ radical within the character.
11. The staircase and hallway furniture on the second and the third floors
Reflecting the Hua Shan Din by Cosmos Creation logo of paper-cut effect, the furniture in the hotel’s public area follows a similar design concept, with straight lines and right angles to construct a uniform style throughout the interior. Along with hotel mascot Bobi, every corner provides a perfect backdrop for a memorable snap.
