Luxury Hotel Nový Smíchov

Abstract

The area of the former cargo station of the Bustehradska railway is a major transformation site of the Prague - Smichov city district. This urban brownfield, currently a barrier in the area, has great potential for the development of the broader centre of Prague. The Metropolitan Plan proposal considers it to be a place of creation of a new urban district. The design of this district - New Smichov, including the public space and the building of the hotel in its centre, is the subject of the thesis.

The thesis consists of a theoretical and practical section. In the theoretical section, the designated area is first defined, the analysis of the area is summarised (both wider and closer links) and the character of the area is evaluated. The following is a typology with a description of the reference projects, a brief description of the development of the construction type and a summary of important typological principles and legislative requirements. The theoretical part is closed by the urban design of the city district and public space in the vicinity of the hotel building.

The practical part is devoted to the architectural study of the hotel located on the plot defined in the theoretical part. The project is processed in depth determined by the assignment of the thesis. It contains an accompanying report, master plans, mass, operational and layout solutions, including visualisations of the proposed building and the adjacent public space.

The proposed building combines two main operations – The Hotel and The Conference Centre. There is a separate entrance and a communication core provided for each of these operations. The inner space is open, oriented to the interior atrium. The hotel's suites, accessible from the galleries, are located on the 4th, 5th and 6th floor. There are several lounge areas together with a library designed in these galleries. The building culminates in the 7th and 8th floor, designed exclusively for hotel guests. On the 7th floor there are two panoramic bars (a larger music bar and a smaller whiskey bar) with access to the terrace. On the top - 8th floor - there is a SPA centre with swimming pool and saunas.

The architectural design presents the author’s notion of a luxury hotel of classic expression and human scale. Luxury is proposed as a consequence rather than a starting point. It is an experience that remains of a movement, activity and rest within a certain space.