More than a Place to Sleep

Architectural Change

by NOW, NEAR, NEXT,
with prasch buken partner architekten and Telluride

People have always travelled, both for business and pleasure. A variety of accommodation types have evolved from this, from chic boutique hotels to lonely mountain farms, from congress hotels to destinations for city trips, from classic highway motels to futuristic concepts without human contact. The hotel industry thrives on the power of eternal reinvention, because today's definition of hospitality is far more than just a place to sleep. How do you manage to create certain atmospheres, arouse emotions, seduce, but not forget user orientation?

For some time now it has become clear that architecture is a fundamental part of hospitality's recipe for success. An awareness of building culture has emerged on all continents, producing architectural projects of high quality with a strong focus on regional identity and context. After all, how do you combine tradition with the future for an authentic experience? Which recipes and strategies do you have to use in order to visually and structurally change generations or make a new start? What role do deceleration and sustainability play as marketing factors?

The range of hotel projects designed by the architectural firm prasch buken partner architekten shows how themed hotels that tell stories in special places offer unique selling points for clients - from hotel projects on a conversion site to a listed building in the middle of the city.

Ensemble Werftdreieck, Rostock, GermanyThe ensemble is composed of 3 structures, which stand together as a triple canon at the entrance to the historic area of the former Neptun shipyard. The challenge? to unite two different types of use and three different operators under one urban design and one material concept with a high recognition value. — Ensemble Werftdreieck, Rostock, Germany
The ensemble is composed of 3 structures, which stand together as a triple canon at the entrance to the historic area of the former Neptun shipyard. The challenge? to unite two different types of use and three different operators under one urban design and one material concept with a high recognition value.

© Tim Karapetian-tkfotos Hotelfotografie

IC-Hotel and Apartmenthouse, Budapest, HungaryThe project completes a gap that has existed since 2008 and combines historical and contemporary architecture. By closing the gap between the buildings, the hotel is the last building block to complete the redesigned square situation at Baross tér. — IC-Hotel and Apartmenthouse, Budapest, Hungary
The project completes a gap that has existed since 2008 and combines historical and contemporary architecture. By closing the gap between the buildings, the hotel is the last building block to complete the redesigned square situation at Baross tér.

© Ádam Tóth

Hotel Schillerhof, Weimar, GermanyRelevant from an architectural point of view is the remodelling of the façade by the architect Rudolf Zapfe (1906). The central location on Schillerstraße between Schiller's residence and Theaterplatz is relevant from an urban planning perspective. Archaeologically relevant is the location on the old city wall, on which the Schillerstraße façade is founded. — Hotel Schillerhof, Weimar, Germany
Relevant from an architectural point of view is the remodelling of the façade by the architect Rudolf Zapfe (1906). The central location on Schillerstraße between Schiller's residence and Theaterplatz is relevant from an urban planning perspective. Archaeologically relevant is the location on the old city wall, on which the Schillerstraße façade is founded.

© Verena Meier

The hotel has always been a place of experimentation, reflecting the changing needs of society in extremely short cycles. The wishes of guests are also constantly changing. What is en vogue in hotels today can quickly change. This allows for a great deal of experimentation, but also for trend-setting. Innovative new concepts are in demand.

Waldkliniken Eisenberg, GermanyBecause of the strong emphasis on having a hotel-like character, the room standard of patient rooms differs significantly from the typical room standard in Germany. The arrangement of bathrooms, furniture, and veranda offer the possibility of both interaction and privacy as needed. In addition, patients can eat together and talk to each other in the light-flooded piazza. — Waldkliniken Eisenberg, Germany
Because of the strong emphasis on having a hotel-like character, the room standard of patient rooms differs significantly from the typical room standard in Germany. The arrangement of bathrooms, furniture, and veranda offer the possibility of both interaction and privacy as needed. In addition, patients can eat together and talk to each other in the light-flooded piazza.

© Architect: Telluride, Matteo Thun & Partners | Photo: HGEsch

"Hospitality" is the key term underlying the concept for the Waldkliniken Eisenberg’s new ward block by Telluride. The English term for hospitality incorporates not only the word "hospital" but also the Greek word "hospis" for guest. Together with Matteo Thun, a holistically conceived hotel concept rather than a classic hospital has been created for the Bettenhaus. The new building functions like a hotel and the patients are guests - an unusual concept for a municipal hospital. For this, DEHOGA awarded Germany's highest hotel classification: 4 or 5 stars for a hospital building.

Hospitality

Hospital

Title	Studio
Future Healthcare Design	Nickl & Partner Architekten
Living in VIERZIG 549, Duesseldorf-Heerdt, Germany	prasch buken partner architekten
Kantonsspital Aarau, Switzerland	wörner traxler richter

More than a Place to Sleep

Architectural Change

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