Chapman Architects commenced work at the Barbican Hotel in 2015. Situated to the north of London’s financial district, the Barbican neighbourhood is home to some of the city’s hippest ‘gastropubs’, and art centres. However, the existing hotel was tired and as a result bookings were well below the potential for the area.
Our brief was to implement a new design that offered a ‘home from home’ feel and made reference to the areas historic past. As a consequence all 129 bedroom suites have been completely ‘refreshed’ with bright and vibrant interiors. Front of house areas have been remodelled, to offer a more contemporary and user friendly face to the hotel.
At an early stage of the design process, mock up rooms were constructed for each apartment type, to ensure the design was robust and that fittings were selected to ensure the right balance between comfort, resilience and budget.
All 129 serviced apartments and bedrooms are fitted with air conditioning, en-suite bathrooms, and seating areas. Each apartment is also fitted with a fully-equipped modern kitchenette and wireless Internet connectivity ensuring guests have a comfortable and independent stay. Other amenities include an on-site gym, launderette and dry-cleaning services.
Chapman Architects also integrated a new independent food outlet as part of the ground floor reception area. ‘Sourced’ is a growing contemporary café chain that compliments the hotels reception area and, overall, creates an active and attractive interior.
As a result of the investment and works undertaken at The Barbican, bookings are substantially higher than they were. The Barbican is now seen as a flagship design for Citadines Hotels and Chapman Architects are currently working on a second installation for the Group in a new location.
