Nobu Hotels is scheduled to open its first European hotel, the Nobu Hotel Shoreditch, in London this coming spring. As with all Nobu hotels, the design reflects the city of origin as well as Nobu Hospitality’s East-meets-West philosophy, drawing on the cultural and industrial context of the East End neighborhood of Shoreditch.
The design for the new 143-guestroom Nobu Hotel Shoreditch is the result of the collective efforts of Ron Arad Architects and Ben Adams Architects. The 240-seat Nobu Shoreditch restaurant was designed by Studio PCH. The interior of the hotel was designed by local designers, Studio Mica.
The original architect, Ron Arad Architects, was appointed in 2011 to design the new hotel, gaining planning permission in 2012. The original scheme featured overhanging floor slabs and cantilevered steel beams forming a frayed edge to the east, where a landscaped garden is terraced to provide natural light to the lower restaurant space. Ron Arad Architects left the project in 2013. Ben Adams Architects was appointed by Willow Corp in December 2013 to develop the design and complete the project.
The hotel’s five stories are fractured into angular, fair-faced concrete balconies which--combined with cantilevered corten steel beams--form a seemingly frayed edge to the northern façade. Six protruding slab edges penetrate the glazing and accentuate the horizontality of the volume.
A landscaped garden at the site’s eastern edge is articulated into terraces, seating and planting, and provides natural light and access to the lower triple height restaurant and bar space.
