Our design reinterprets local materials and characteristics into an under-stated, contemporary piece of quality architecture. Three colours, textures and tones of brickwork (glazed green, yellow London stock and pale white matt) reflect the local Victorian industrial vernacular and public houses and give a light, delicate façade. A repetition of bay elements creating a structure and vertical rhythm. Perforated metal panels and detailing provide a subtle industrial reference.
The site lies between the busy Cut with its shops, restaurants, bars and cultural entertainment and the quiet residential area of Ufford Street. Our design took careful account of the context of the new hotel, bringing some of the Cut’s liveliness into the public realm to the north, while grouping the quieter sleeping accommodation closest to the residential area.
The ground floor restaurant welcomes the local community and hotel guests alike and generates an active frontage along the pathway, with an al fresco dining area spilling informally from the interior into the courtyard. A public route between the blocks (the re-instatement of the lost Marlborough Street) leads through to a verdant pocket park New Marlborough Yard.
