Mooke&Co
Lel Design Studio has designed Mooke&Co, a youth hostel and digital nomad community renovation project in Jimiaowu Village, Zhejiang, China.
Mooke&Co transforms a disused four-story rural credit cooperative office building into a youth hostel and digital nomad community, exploring sustainable rural regeneration.
Rooted in vernacular sensibility, the design repurposes demolished red bricks – crushed into powder and mixed with aggregates – to create facade coatings that recreate the area's distinctive pinkish tones.
Through restrained renovation, the original structure is preserved to balance historical preservation with modern functionality.
Since its operation, the space has become a cultural hub hosting salons and artist residencies, revitalising rural vitality through a non-tourism approach and redefining a symbiotic relationship between youth and rural communities.
This project has been shortlisted in the public project (sports, hospitality and entertainment) category of Dezeen Awards China 2025.
Studio: Lel Design Studio
Project: Mooke&Co
Credits: Zhejiang Deqing Qianxiyuan Tourism Development, Lü Xiaohui, Liu Lu, Lü Qi, Yu Kuai, Luo Sai, Wang Jing, Wang Yiding, Zhang Fan, ChangStudios and Lan Jingqi