eco-friendly hotel

This project was completed in the fall of 1999 following the program of the Commonwealth Association of Architects Student Design Competition 2000. The theme of the competition was an‘Eco-Friendly Traveler’s Hotel’ where students were required to design a hotel that provided accommodation for travelers“with comfort rather than luxury”. The hotel was to house 120 people plus support staff.

The site chosen for the project was on the Lachine canal, a waterway that runs along the base of the city. The site although situated in an industrial zone, was still in close proximity to downtown and Old Montreal.
My concept was to establish a focal point/hub for the area. A location along the bike path, street and canal provided the opportunity to fuse these pathways and create an exciting meeting place. I decided to place an oversized lobby, restaurant and bar directly at this point of collision, drawing people into the building unknowingly. The creation of a marina in front of the building also helped bring in recreational boaters, adding another attraction.

The rooms all needed to have a view of the canal for full rentability. This was done by grouping the rooms in long strips (single loaded corridors) that pivoted about the central circulation and lobby space. Each floor was at a slightly different angle and clad in a different coloured sheet metal creating a dynamic façade and acting as a visual focal point in the area.

The rooms were designed for flexibility. Each room could be transformed into three states: empty, daytime and nighttime. As each room came with a kitchen and living area, there was little room to provide sleeping quarters. This was done with service strips running along the length of each room where furniture and luggage could be stored. In order to sleep three comfortably, tables flipped into the wall, bringing down beds and daytime furniture could be stored in the service strips. The rooms each had a balcony, large enough to accommodate a table and chairs to sit and enjoy the view.