Ace Hotel 7th Floor
Also within the vibrant multi use environment of the Ace Hotel, there is the new events floor located on the 7th floor of the hotel, again consisting of both business and hospitality uses. These of which are more private than that of the ground floor informal work space of the lobby and its hospitality facilities.
“Universal designed the new events floor on the 7th floor at Ace Hotel which provide events spaces, meeting rooms, private dining rooms, a bar and an external terrace with incredible views across the London skyline.
This floor focuses on the roof scape and offers a change in viewpoint and pace from the more public Ground Floor which acts as an extension of the streetscape.
The events floor has been designed so that the external spaces can be used to full advantage, throughout the year, day and night. A connection with the exterior can be felt throughout; the spaces feel light and natural, have an abundance of planting, texture and natural materials including timber flooring, exposed concrete walls, wood wool panelling and Crittal internal and external glazed walls. The overall material palette consists of raw, textured and industrial materials in keeping with the approach to the Ground Floor lobby.”
(Universal Design Studio)
(All images are the property of Universal Design Studio)
For more information about the design project, please visit the Universal Design Studio website:
http://www.universaldesignstudio.com/portfolio/ace-hotel-london/
And the Ace Hotel website:
Why is the Ace Hotel a good Precedent for my Design Project?
So in essence, yes the Ace is a “Hotel”, however, it also provides business and hospitality facilities. Business facilities in the form of the informal lobby work space and the 7th floor events floor. And hospitality in the form of the bars and lounge, the restaurant, the basement nightclub and the florist retail that is available to the guests, work space users and public. It is therefore a mixed use building, although yes it does consist mainly of hotel accommodation, it has other uses which suggest the relationship between business and hospitality. And this is why it is the ideal precedent for my design project.
I have actually visited the Ace Hotel and the lobby was buzzing as an informal work space and this is one of the real spaces that inspired my final design project.
Programme – As discussed above and in my previous post, it is the programme of the building that makes it a good precedent for my final design project. I have a similar programme on a much smaller scale, my programme consists of business and hospitality elements – informal hot desking work spaces, more formal or private work spaces, bars, restaurant, cafe, retail, spa, overnight accommodation.
Seating – The Ace hotel uses different types of seating in the informal lobby work space and this is important as it gives the users of the space the opportunity to choose where and how they would like to sit and work. In my informal working area, I would like to do this also, by combining chairs and sofas, etc.
Interior and Exterior Connections and Light – The 7th Floor is “designed so that the external spaces can be used to full advantage, throughout the year, day and night. A connection with the exterior can be felt throughout; the spaces feel light and natural, have an abundance of planting, texture and natural materials”. Within my design, I would like spaces where a lot of light is able to enter the building as light improves things such as productivity and motivation etc.
Materials – The 7th floor “overall material palette consists of raw, textured and industrial materials in keeping with the approach to the Ground Floor lobby.” Some of the materials that I am considering using in my design may be quite raw and industrial materials, but I will be exploring this more.
Please refer to my previous blog post for part 1:
https://antonialoweinteriors.com/ace-hotel-london-universal-design-studio-fmp-precedent-part-1
