UK: Edwardian Hotels London’s latest project, designed to create “a celebration of London; its history, aesthetic and people,” is set to open this summer.
The 16-storey “urban resort” is located on the south west corner of Leicester Square.
Edwardian Hotels’ London’s design architect, Rob Steul, alongside architectural firm Woods Bagot CEO, Nik Karalis, collaborated on the hotel’s design.
Steul said: “From inception, Edwardian Hotels London saw the building as more than a hotel and sought to create an ‘urban resort’ destination of the highest architectural quality. From the wellness space below, to an extraordinary rooftop terrace overlooking Trafalgar Square, we developed a central core of meeting, eating, lounging and event spaces running vertically through the building around which wrap the guest rooms.”
He continued: “It is essentially two buildings intertwined – with the interplay between them creating a dynamic guest experience. Working closely with City of Westminster planners, we carefully considered the urban context of the site and responded with a building which fits its context in both massing and materiality.”
Karalis added: “The design of the Londoner is directly a result of its location in the historic theatre district. [It is] a spatial journey that takes the guest and local Londoners through the subterranean and street level, and connected visually through to the roof top. [Its] several enthralling episodes of experience and interaction are not to be missed.”
Due to urban planning height restrictions, a 30-metre subterranean series of spaces across six levels was created. A specially designed excavator by construction company McGee Group was necessary to reach the required depth.
Turning to the building’s facade, 15,000 faience tiles in rich blue colour were designed by artist Ian Monroe and hand-made by Darwen Terracotta. Each tile took up to six weeks to create, and have been angled to reflect the natural light of the sky.
The faience extends from the ground floor of The Londoner up and through to its roof.
Looking inside, interior designer George Yabu of Yabu Pushelberg said: “The Londoner was designed to play into the roots of Leicester Square as London’s historic theatre district. We created layers of programming up into the sky and deep into the earth that emphasise this extraverted, alluring, playful voice.”
The hotel comprises 350 rooms, suites and a tower penthouse, two private cinema rooms, six dining spots including bars and a tavern, alfresco dining and Japanese lounge bar, as well as a ballroom, meeting spaces, a gym and a spa.
The Londoner even secured a £175 million Great Loan from HSBC UK that will ensure it exceeds the BREEAM Excellent category in building environmental and sustainable performance.
Edwardian Hotels London owns and operates The May Fair, The Edwardian Manchester, 10 Radisson Blu Edwardian hotels across London, plus a range of restaurant and bar brands.
