Client: Z Hotels

Location: London

Status: Complete

Overview

The site at 52-53 Poland Street comprises of a nine-storey hotel accommodation building, situated within the Soho Conservation Area. HdAr’s proposed hotel design transforms the under-utilised office space into a viable hotel operation, redeveloping the site to provide a 113-bedroom hotel with a café at first floor.

The design of the front-facing elevation of Poland Street constituted an attractive task, undertaking many revisions before reaching the elegant brick elevation, expressing the depth of the facade via Portland stone reveals.

Alongside a the careful palette of materials to used to reclad and extend the existing structure, we collaborated with artist Rona Smith for the design of the infill panels on the front façade of which variations are engraved into the natural Portland Stone & painted in the recess.

The inspiration behind Rona Smith’s artwork originates from the loom weaving and garment making that took place historically in the building. The organic concept behind the artwork aims to express the imperfect elements of the labour and stitching.