[New] Art’otel

London Hoxton

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Owner: PPHE Hotel Group

Developer: AKT II

Operator: PPHE Hotel Group, Radisson Hotel Group

Architecture: Squire & Partners www.artotel.com

Squire & Partners has revealed its inspiration for Art’otel London Hoxton, slated to open in early 2024. Occupying a prominent site in the South Shoreditch Conservation Area, the hotel will comprise 340 guestrooms, co-working spaces, an art gallery and cinema. Additional facilities include a spa, gym and pool, as well as several restaurants, bars and lounges.

Spanning 26 storeys, the building responds to the cultural identity of the nearby Silicon Roundabout – a hub for many technology companies. As a result, its architectural form and cladding take cues from the mechanical components of early analogue computers, with a cylindrical shape that evolved into a fractured cogwheel throughout the planning process, rising and adapting in response to its context and interior functions.

Each section of the cogwheel is extruded over two floors, separated by a horizontal aluminium shelf that allows every level to read individually within the overall composition. Double-height floorplates are then rotated in order to give the illusion of a series of moving components.

Twisting metal fins in a variety of sizes rise vertically, positioned in syncopated rhythm around the tower, giving a depth of articulation to the exterior façade.

Framing the tower at first-floor height, two large-scale original Banksy artworks –which were already part of the site – are being conserved and incorporated into the design.

“The project was conceived in 2008, and after several design iterations, I am excited to see our ideas developing into an important part of Shoreditch’s urban fabric,” says Murray Levinson, Partner at Squire & Partners. “The design concept makes a subtle nod to the development of the computer – without which Silicon Roundabout would not have its name –providing another example of how our work is influenced by the distinct context of a location.”