Aloft London Excel / Jestico + Whiles

© Tim Crocker

Architects: Jestico + Whiles
Location: London, England
Project Manager: GVA Second London Wall
Client: Excel London (part of Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company)
Contractor:McAleer&Rushe
Photographs: Tim Crocker

© Tim Crocker

Starwood Hotels & Resorts has opened the first Aloft Hotel in the UK at ExCeL London. The Aloft London Excel has been designed by Jestico + Whiles, the architects behind the highlysuccessful W London‐ Leicester Square which opened earlier this year.

© Tim Crocker

Developed by London ExCeL’s parent company, ADNEC (Abu Dhabi National ExhibitionsCompany) and constructed by McAleer&Rushe, Jestico + Whiles’ innovative design for thearchitecture and interiors provides 252 guest bedrooms; an exciting ‘w xyzSMbar’; are:chargeSMfitness suite with gym and SplashSMpool; re:fuel by AloftSMa one‐stop, 24–hourgrab‐and‐go food and beverage area; five ‘Tactic’ meeting rooms; together with a newrestaurant concept restaurant ‘FEDE’ separately operated by Elior.

© Tim Crocker

The plan of the building has a convex central spine containing bedrooms and the verticalcirculation, flanked by two concave wings which house further bedrooms and corridors.These wings are clad in thousands of specially treated, highly reflective stainless‐steelshingles creating the extraordinary effect of constantly changing colour with the passing of the day.

© Tim Crocker

The central spine of the hotel has been finished with a bespoke, double‐glazed cladding, which features a translucent ceramic frit pattern and solid back‐painted spandrel panels. Inspired by the illusion of depth seen in some of Bridget Riley’s paintings, abstract horizontal stripes fritted onto the glass have been designed to emphasise the flow of the building. Thiscreates an unusual interplay of movement and depth when combined with the undulatingcolours of the crescent wings.

© Tim Crocker

The building’s ‘serpentine’ layering reduces internal corridor lengths and brings natural daylight into the central lift core lobby whilst addressing the site restrictions generated bycomplex service infrastructure surrounding the exhibition centre. The form also enables thevariety of room sizes demanded by the client’s brief to be elegantly accommodated.

© Tim Crocker

In response to the split‐level access requirements of the hotel, with the main pedestrianroute emerging from ExCeL on the first floor and the vehicular access on the ground level,Jestico + Whiles has designed a spacious, double height atrium reception in the centre of the building with a bespoke, sculptural spiral stairway linking the two levels.

© Tim Crocker

Jestico + Whiles’ treatment of the internal spaces continues the linear, multi‐coloured motif of the external design. Innovative finishes and bespoke coloured light panels, reminiscent ofthe façade treatment, decorate the guestroom corridors, creating cohesion between theinternal and external spaces. The interiors have been furnished with a carefully selectedpalette of timber, Corian®, glass, porcelain and textured wallpaper, with selected artworksdecorating the public spaces. The firm has specifically tuned and developed the interiordesign to evolve the Aloft guidelines into a site‐specific design.

axon

John Whiles, Director of Jestico + Whiles said: “The opening of Aloft London Excel is an exciting moment for the practice. The building continues our challenge to the acceptednorms of hotel design through the integration of the theatre of materials and activity wherethe architecture and interior design become one holistic treatment. The hotel clearlyenhances the experience of the location to create an iconic sense of place at this importantentrance to the International Conference Centre, so vital to the future of London.”

ground floor plan

Located on the Royal Victoria Dock, the hotel is served by the Prince Regent Station on theDocklands Light Railway and has achieved a BREEAM rating of Excellent. Aloft London Excelis the latest project from Jestico + Whiles’ award‐winning Interiors and Hotels Studio whichhas built a reputation for producing high quality design for a prestigious client list. Recentlycompleted projects include W London ‐ Leicester Square and the Playboy Club in Mayfair.

Kinetic Architecture

Project Kinetower - this is one of the most interesting architectural concepts. The windows in this building look like flowers, which reacts to sunlight, open buds, and the facade changes and becomes almost unrecognizable. Such a transformation is made possible thanks to the robust but flexible materials.

Chongqing Chaotianmen from Safdie Architects

Safdie Architects designed the building Chongqing Chaotianmenfor the Chinese city of Chongqing. Multifunctional building will occupy an area of 817 000 sq.m. It is located in place of the meeting of the rivers Yangtze River and Jialing. The impressive building will become a new tourist attraction. This project brings the historical symbolism. Gates Chhaothyan is the only surviving of the ten gates of the city. 

Design project VILLA-K on Cell Space Architects

Architect Mutsue Hayakusa of Cell Space Architects worked on the project VILLA-K - interesting residence in the city Karuizava, Nagano, Japan. Located on top of a slope, the villa is built in one of the most prestigious areas of the city. Beautiful landscape makes it possible to enjoy the beauty of nature all year round, especially during the winter. The property consists of four parts which surround the central column. It is made ​​on the basis of the helix, which makes the project so interesting. The building seemed to consist of several floors, which occupy different levels and connected by a spiral around a central support. All four roofs combined together at different levels. This allows the sun to penetrate into the house from different angles, making it a unique natural lighting. Interesting architectural design is balanced by a simple, seemingly unremarkable, even within the home environment. Furniture selected on the basis of minimalism, which is characteristic of many modern designs. However, there can clearly be seen subjects' cabin in the mountains "and the designers preferred wood while working on the interior.