Tag: hotel-design | ArchDaily

Tropical Hotels in Costa Rica: Six Projects to Explore Climate-Sensitive Architecture in Central America

Moises Carrasco — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 05:00:00 +0000

In the coastal and jungle regions of Costa Rica, high humidity and intense solar radiation dictate an architectural strategy centered on permeability rather than enclosure. Unlike the airtight envelopes required in cold climates to retain heat, Costa Rican architecture uses the building envelope as a climatic filter to maximize air exchange. The primary mechanism for managing these thermal gradients seems to be the oversized roof overhang. By extending the roof plane significantly beyond the floor plate, architects create a permanent buffer of deep shade that reduces solar gain and lowers the ambient temperature before air enters the structure. This strategy, combined with permeable or non-existent walls, allows for constant airflow. This is a critical technical requirement for humidity control and the prevention of material degradation through mold and rot.

From Coast to Countryside: 15 Rural Hotels in Portugal

Camilla Ghisleni — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Tourism in Portugal began to develop in the late 1950s, initially centered on key destinations such as the Algarve coast, Lisbon, and the religious hub of Fátima. This focus made tourism largely a coastal activity. However, rapid growth and overburdened infrastructure in these areas led to saturation and a crisis in the sector. To address this, efforts were made to promote alternative destinations, appealing to a new wave of tourists looking for more sustainable, authentic, and locally immersive experiences.

Guesthouses and Lessons in Generosity: Spaces of Hospitality in Rural America

Olivia Poston — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Spaces of hospitality are a mirror to how different cultures articulate generosity, care, belonging, and identity. In busy city settings, this is reflected in hotels, service systems, and curated amenities that directly shape the visitor experience. These spaces translate care into measurable forms, where success is correlated with efficiency, luxury, and brand identity.

From Nature-Inspired Resorts to City Reconversions, Discover the Recent Work of Gensler, Foster + Partners, and More

Antonia Piñeiro — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 06:30:00 +0000

The change of the calendar year marked the culmination of several processes in the world of renowned architecture firms. Between December 2024 and February 2025, Gensler unveiled a rendering of a Manhattan redevelopment project, Foster + Partners released renderings of a new hotel and luxury residences in Brazil, and Herzog & de Meuron announced the completion date for the new Memphis Art Museum. International competitions revealed their results, highlighting the winning project of the young firm Unformed Design, as well as the collaboration between the Portuguese Fala Atelier and the Swiss Continentale on an educational architecture project. These projects showcase the broad scope of architectural design, from the detailing of a high-end project's relationship with nature to the urban renewal potential of a programmatic conversion project.

From Home to Hotel: A Design Comparison Across 20 Bathrooms

Jonathan Yeung — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Bathrooms play a significant role in our daily lives, serving multiple functions beyond basic hygiene. Research highlights their importance as relaxation, introspection, and personal wellness spaces. A bathroom's design and comfort can profoundly influence how we begin and end our day, framing our routines with a sense of ease or disruption. When traveling, hotel bathrooms often leave a lasting impression, as a well-designed and thoughtfully executed bathroom can significantly elevate the overall experience of a stay.

Modernist Hotels in East Africa: A Reflection of National Identity

Mohieldin Gamal — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 05:00:00 +0000

The middle of the Twentieth Century saw the independence of most countries on the African continent. Those euphoric times brought forward-looking sentiments and a wish to break with the past. As an architectural movement, Modernism was ideal for the day, and newly independent countries had extensive building programs to assert themselves as fully functioning nations.

Welcoming the World: Modernist Hotels in West Africa

Mohieldin Gamal — Sun, 20 Oct 2024 07:30:00 +0000

The middle of the Twentieth Century saw the independence of most countries on the African continent. Those euphoric times brought forward-looking sentiments and a wish to break with the past. Modernism, as an architectural movement, was ideal for the day, and newly independent countries had extensive building programs to assert themselves as fully functioning nations.

BIG Designs Cantilevered Towers Surrounding the Freedom Plaza on Manhattan’s Waterfront

Maria-Cristina Florian — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 06:30:00 +0000

Located along Manhattan’s East River waterfront, the Freedom Plaza sets out to create a new civic and cultural hub, introducing a new open and green space in the crowded area, with plans to add an in-park Museum of Freedom and Democracy. Additionally, the scheme designed by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group includes affordable housing units, two hotels, retail, and restaurants. Developed by Soloviev Group and Mohegan, the Freedom Plaza development reimagines one of the largest undeveloped plots in Manhattan, measuring 6.7 acres located south of the United Nations headquarters in the Midtown East neighborhood.

ICON and BIG Reveal Design for El Cosmico, a 3D-Printed Campground Hotel in Marfa, Texas

Maria-Cristina Florian — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 06:30:00 +0000

Hospitality expert Liz Lambert has announced a collaboration with ICON, the office that pioneered large-scale 3D printing, and BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group, to rebuild El Cosmico, a campground hotel in Marfa, Texas. The team plans to relocate the venue to a 62 acres plot, where new architectural approaches are made possible by including advanced technologies and 3D-printing elements such as domes, vaults, and parabolic forms. The innovative development will feature guest accommodation and new hospitality programming, including a pool, spa, and shared communal facilities. The project is expected to break ground in 2024.

Local Inspiration for Contemporary Design: Hilton Singapore Orchard

Camila Prieto — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 06:45:00 +0000

Focused on bringing spaces back to life, Avalon Collective takes a pre-existing building and transforms it into a contemporary hotel that relates to the locality and origin of Orchard Road, while capturing its modern retail context. Through a consistent design language and spirit that incorporates history and regeneration, the new Hilton Singapore Orchard has been selected among the five winners of the 2022 Best of Globe Winner.

Hotel Siro / MOUNT FUJI ARCHITECTS STUDIO

Hana Abdel — Wed, 16 Jun 2021 06:00:00 +0000

I like hotels that remind me I’m really staying in the city.

A Windy City Welcome: Rethinking Hospitality Design in Chicago

Eric Baldwin — Tue, 06 Apr 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Chicago has long been a center of design. The third-most populous city in the United States with one of the world's largest and most diversified economies, the Windy City is a hub for commerce, transportation and culture. Chicago has continuously redefined hospitality architecture long before the pandemic, and the city will once again take stock as it looks to reimagine the future of travel and entertainment.

Topwin Center & InterContinental in Beijing / HOK

舒岳康 - SHU Yuekang — Mon, 12 Mar 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Situated in the Sanlitun district, a trendy cultural and creative hub of Beijing, the InterContinental Sanlitun distinguishes itself as a landmark building in the district. As a refreshing contrast to the contemporary buildings in the area, the hotel’s facade features a hexagon-patterned steel structure integrated with LED lights to give the tower an interesting texture by day and a compelling light show by night. The project includes a 305-key InterContinental Hotel, 48 luxury apartments and a 40,000-sq.-m. boutique retail mall.