Capsule Hotel in Beijing

Whilst the capsule hotel has been a common habitat of Japanese salarymen who have missed the last train home for some time, it has failed to find success in other high-density metropolises around the world – remaining an idiosyncratic and iconic facet of Tokyo’s urban edifice.

Capsule hotels are pragmatic in essence, and their design has evolved to maximise efficiency. Taking the quest for functionality to the extreme, but managing to create a modern and sleek aesthetic in doing so – the 9 Hours capsule hotel in Kyoto is an exciting proposition. The philosophy is embodied in the name: 1 hour for washing, 7 for sleep and 1 for rest = 9 hours. It’s an organic experience where customers are led through the muted and minimalist space that caters only to the most basic needs.

Now, a capsule hotel has popped up in Beijing. Unlike the direction 9 hours takes, Mr. Huang Rixin, a 78 year old kind-hearted retired engineer, has a more socially benevolent philosophy. He saw a calling to provide affordable accommodation to fresh graduates who have little in their pockets – who are known as ‘Ants.’

To allure and incentivise prospective new tenants – Mr Huang has offered free stays – but up to now, the only one to remain is 25-year-old Zhang Qi. She works in advertising and is getting used to her new abode. She owns an apartment much closer to her workplace, but rents that out and is planning on staying in her capsule for some time.

Although each capsule is only 2.4m long and 0.72m wide, it is spacious enough for a single-size bed and a table. There are sufficient electricity points for a TV, computer, cooker and broadband. With a monthly rent of merely 200-250 RMB, this is a steal! Zhang Qi rents out her own apartment for 1200 Yuan a month, so despite the downsizing, she is now complementing her monthly salary.

Mr Huang did not build the capsule apartments to make a profit out of the rental. He invested over 40,000 RMB to build 10 capsules, and he is paying 2000 RMB every month for three rooms.

Despite the kind intentions of the capsule apartments, a recent regulation drafted around required sizes of housing to ensure safety against fire and disease means Mr Huang’s project may sadly come to an early end.

Nevertheless, it’s interesting to see how the capsule hotel is being exported from it’s distinctive Japanese setting and finding new potential audiences. Beyond space-premium urban centres, the obvious solution capsule hotels answer is providing for people in transit; whether that be commuting, in airports, or trying to climb a social ladder.

Related links:

For an interesting video on 9 Hours see here

Outdoor installation of Mini-apartment hotel here

Capsule hotel as architecture here

This post was written by Calin and Alex

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 at 12:18 am. It is filed under China, Tourism and tagged with Hotels, Japan, urban planning. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.