AQSO arquitectos office. Prefabricated facade made of lightweight concrete forming an ruled surface. Each of the windows corresponds to a hotel room.

The proposal for this mixed-used building including hotel, cinema, and retail explores a formal response to the site conditions with an alternative contemporary language. Against the monolithic presence of a totem that divides the paths in two, the building becomes a flexible element that blends with the perspective of the resulting streets while respects the pedestrian flow of the public area.

Luis Aguirre
Razvan Brezoianu
Sergio Blanco

Location: London, UK
GFA: 4.700 sqm
Client: Private

AQSO arquitectos office. Scale model built in balsa wood of the urban fabric surrounding the Shoreditch hotel. Bird's eye view of the Old Street intersection.

The intersection of Old Street and Great Eastern Street is an iconic landmark in East London. The ancient Roman street widens on the western side after crossing what is being called the Silicon Roundabout, the intersection of City Road, and opens the doors of Shoreditch at Haggerston. This junction is not only significant from the morphology of the urban fabric but also for becoming a regeneration catalyst in this old industrial area influenced by the City of London that has experienced an important creative and artistic boom.

AQSO arquitectos office. View of the hotel from the intersection of the main streets. The turned silhouette of the volume distorts the perspective and provides an iconic image of the building.
AQSO arquitectos office. The side elevation of the hotel extends the chess pattern of the black concrete faƧade.

The building becomes a prow that enhances the angle of the junction responding to the urban views, but steps back at ground level to considerate and emphasise the cycling and pedestrian flow that crosses perpendicularly.

AQSO arquitectos office. The parametric faƧade seen from the street offers the dynamic and changing image of a curved black concrete building.
AQSO arquitectos office. Diagram of the uses of the building showing the hotel, restaurant, cinemas, flats and shopping area.

The overlay of these two urban circulations shapes and defines the building form creating an iconic element, distinctive but not monumental, that is subtle seen from the adjacent streets.

AQSO arquitectos office. Night view of the hotel, where the light from the windows underlines the chequered pattern of the black concrete faƧade, creating an easily recognisable urban icon.
AQSO arquitectos office. The longitudinal section of the building shows the central courtyard around which the hotel rooms are located and the courtyard separating the commercial building.

The twisted facades of the building contrast with a regular arrangement of openings, creating a language that translates into the interior. An internal courtyard creates a discreet and enigmatic breach that becomes a secondary access point, bringing light into the enclosure and widening at the bottom to host the drop-off area.

AQSO arquitectos office. Aerial view of the Shoreditch Hotel in its urban setting, with the buildings of the City of London in the background. The hotel's unique image stands out from the rest of the buildings.
ASO arquitectos office. The floors of the building show the hotel rooms around the atrium, as well as the shopping and dropoff area.

The hotel rooms are located around an internal atrium that concentrates the vertical circulation of the building while the cinema and retail occupy the rear of the courtyard, next to the party wall.

AQSO arquitectos office. The hotel room is designed for a millennial audience, it is a minimalist and informal design with an industrial and functional style.
AQSO arquitectos office. The structural system of the building is based on a reinforced concrete spine supported by a conventional portal and column system.

The structural system responds to the geometry of the twisted facade, made of ruled surfaces along arches and straight lines. The parametric design of the shell is compensated with a rational layout, allowing a consistent distribution of rooms and openings.