The proposal is for a new 354 bed hotel and refurbishment of a Grade II Listed Building at the entrance to the city from Piccadilly train station.
From scheme inception the desire has been to use a material palette that is relevant to the site and context; which will enable the proposal to provide a suitable bedfellow to the adjacent listed building.
The elevations are articulated by dividing the rectangular form of the new building into two parallel slabs that are separated by a glass slot. This architectural move visually reduces the apparent mass of the building and helps it to be read as two elegant forms. To accentuate this effect, the two slabs are articulated in different materials and façade treatment. The northern slab is constructed from a number of repetitive bronze coloured pre-cast concrete panels to which are applied a series of 100mm wide by 150mm deep ribs. This provides a simple and elegant elevation that helps to give order to a variety of window apertures. In contrast, the southern slab is constructed from contrasting white pre-cast concrete panels that echo the colour of the Portland stone, from which the adjoining Union Bank is hewn.