Silent Herald Hotel Dundee
My decision to design a hotel was emulated by Dundee’s lack of original spaces to sleep in. With the future arrival of the V and A, I believe that the city will witness an artistic awakening as the museum will bring an influx of people from all over the word and herald forth a new age of local prosperity (hence the name “Silent Herald”. Therefore tourist accommodations are a must and I believe that they should be the first to be considered.
Thus, I have carefully devised a boutique hotel in the city centre where the old Clydesdale bank once used to be. Even though many modern concepts were laid over the once strict and tangled building, I have kept and open sensibility to the building and its identity. As such, I believed that something with a twist could be conjured up, that would not be ignorant to the building’s past but bold enough to set it into the present, something sublime. I strictly oppose large “industrial “hotels that lack any type of personality and appear to be “copy pasted” from other similar spaces. The four main focuses of this project have been:
“The reception and Communication Area” where staff would wear different special tunics during the day and night, perform “the changing of the guard” and commit themselves to a light theatrical act during their exciting job performances. Through the lush vegetation in the middle I planned to create a virtual campfire with its very own lake (covered in glass for obvious purposes) and brightened by indirect lights and candles.
-“The Silent Lounge”, is a tea and fresh homemade pastry area found in a very cool blue space that is both tranquil and mysterious. It is positioned on the first floor where it oversees most activities going on downstairs while still retaining a serene atmosphere.
-“The Cartographer Restaurant” is a mirror to the outside world overlooking Commercial Street, a very populated area. It was designed to impress and beckon people inside through its vibrant and exotic colours. The main theme is a modern “jungle” in the city of “Discovery” (Dundee)
-One of the 9 Bedrooms which I planned to turn into a unique sleeping space. The main abstract theme behind it is lucid dreaming. The room’s main purpose is to rip the viewer from the real world through the plush unnaturally contractual atmosphere.
Amongst other things, the building itself is one of the biggest tools in designing something entirely different. Without its previous construction characteristics, shape and personality, none of the rooms in “Silent Herald” would look the same.
15 Jul 2014