It is located in the West End, where the Strand and Oldwich meet. Since this corner is an important point from a town planning point of view, the architects marked it with a tower with a glass dome, at the foot of which is the main entrance to the hotel. This decision echoes the Edwardian-style building opposite the hotel on Oldwich Street with a similar tower. Facing the facade with limestone slabs is also an attempt to fit into the context, since this material is typical for the development of central London.
But the modest (as expected for a historic district) exterior of the 10-storey building hides the splendor inside, befitting the 5-star "flagship" hotel of the Meliá Hotels International group. It is the first major hotel that Foster has designed in its entirety, from facades to faucets and doorknobs, and is also their first hotel in the UK.
The main attraction of the hotel for 157 guests is an atrium faced with light marble in the form of a hollow pyramid, at the top of which there is a small window.
The hotel has a 2-storey penthouse room: it is he who occupies the glass dome of the tower, as well as a terrace with a bar, from where spectacular views of London are opened.
The project budget was 45 million pounds; Silken was the original customer in the mid-2000s, but construction halted in 2008 for lack of funds and is now completed by Meliá.
The nearby historic Marconi House (1904) was completely reconstructed according to the project of the Foster bureau: the historical facades and roof were returned to their original appearance, and the interior was adapted for apartments.
N. F.
