Suite dreams: New hotel projects
Text by Peter Smisek
03.04.18
The rise of Airbnb may have been a blessing in disguise for some architects as hotels must now compete even harder for their guests. The need for outstanding design and a strong sense of place means a new, more characterful and more interesting breed of lodgings are emerging all over the world.
Nobu Hotel Shoreditch, Shoreditch, United Kingdom; Photo: Nicholas Worley
In China's eastern Jiangsu province, design and architecture duo Neri&Hu have designed The Walled - Tsingpu Yangzhou Retreat, which incorporates older traditional buildings and unites them within a larger superstructure composed of numerous walled courtyards. The dark brick, strong emphasis on the horizontal plane and carefully orchestrated views of the lakes outside lend this hotel a contemplative atmosphere, while the communal and individual facilities are designed to cater even to the most demanding of guests.
This walled retreat contains just 20 rooms - and the guests have to walk across the site to get from their room to its communal facilities, heightening the hotel's almost monastic atmosphere; Photos: Pedro Pegenaute
This walled retreat contains just 20 rooms - and the guests have to walk across the site to get from their room to its communal facilities, heightening the hotel's almost monastic atmosphere; Photos: Pedro Pegenaute
×Kettner's Townhouse, a newly opened hotel in London's Soho, also takes cues from tradition, albeit in a much more urban context. Here, one of the city's first French restaurants, established in the 19th century, has been turned into a veritable catalogue of British design classics. The Soho House & Co In-House Design Team have chosen rosewood and mahogany furniture with art-deco touches and William Morris prints, Georgian wallpaper and Edwardian panelling, creating a sense of playful, historically inspired opulence throughout the hotel's champagne bar, restaurant and suites.
Despite the different design accents throughout the hotel, the designers' eclectic yet relaxed attitude pervades all of the different spaces; Photos: Simon Brown
Despite the different design accents throughout the hotel, the designers' eclectic yet relaxed attitude pervades all of the different spaces; Photos: Simon Brown
×But London isn't all about the glory of yesteryear. In Shoreditch in London's storied and creative East End, Ben Adams Architects has designed the new Nobu Hotel. Fusing Nobu's penchant for simplicity with the area’s post-industrial character, the hotel’s exterior features concrete panels and steel beams while the interior combines timber, polished concrete and brass with contemporary furnishings and includes a double height communal restaurant and lobby, giving the hotel a feeling of spaciousness which is remarkable in this urban location.
The hotel's balconies open to a pocket park, creating a strong connection with the surrounding urban quarter; Photos: Nicholas Worley
The hotel's balconies open to a pocket park, creating a strong connection with the surrounding urban quarter; Photos: Nicholas Worley
×°C, also known as Do-C, in Tokyo, proves that business hotels do not have to be dreary, soulless affairs. Designed by Schemata Architects, this capsule hotel has plenty of character. The minimalist interior is decked out in plywood, and while the capsules themselves are small, the hotel does include an authentic Finnish sauna where guests can relax after a stressful working day.
This project renovates an existing capsule hotel, with the architects seeking to make the capsules "disappear" within the pale wood colour scheme. The sauna completes the look, and is typically associated with such hotels; Photos: Nacasa & Partners Inc.
This project renovates an existing capsule hotel, with the architects seeking to make the capsules "disappear" within the pale wood colour scheme. The sauna completes the look, and is typically associated with such hotels; Photos: Nacasa & Partners Inc.
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