The constant hotel

It goes on and on.
With the editing of my film completed (a small visual resource for the research stage of this project) I had hoped to upload it here but instead it seems i didn't convert it properly and so...VLC is the only thing that recognizes the file type. As well as this the Final cut pro files don't work so i can only really show stills. Boo.

Recently had a crit which went reasonable well considering i only had two floor plans to show whilst other people had basic visualizations and was assured that my 'quirky' designs would be in the expo in April. WOO HOO.

Vintage bohemian

The first crit of the hotel project was more of a revision of the points of the hotel that i had already been covering myself and also some kind of exercise on communication on where my perception of the direction of this project was lying. I was disappointed by the lack of feedback from the presentation...but i think this was partly due to the fact that i was last and that maybe because we are at a stage where not allot of criticism can be made on the floor plan because nothing is certain.
The main hinge point of this particular plan is the fact that it is very open plan, i wanted to integrate a cafe/shop area to the ground floor so that even people who weren't staying in the hotel would feel welcome and comfortable in the space. I highlighted the fact that i didn't feel there was much need for office space to be in the sight line of the public because there would be spaces throughout the hotel which they could be tucked away in. The second biggest point is the ramp which i have decided to make a big feature of instead of shying away from and pushing it into a corner.

On the food Tourism subject i am lucky enough to be going to visit Cookie, a new business starting up in the south side of Glasgow in a couple of weeks! The owner agreed to let me see the space before it is open to the public and also have a little chat about food/food tourism in Scotland.

Stepping back

Trying to collate the research i have more i have put most of the images i collected onto the computer in an attempt to be organised, needless to say it won't last long. I liked the above image for its use of one striking image that acts as a backdrop for the shop and also how the chairs look like they would be at home in that wood.

Floor plan wise I keep coming to dead ends....and i haven't even thought about the other public spaces yet or rooms. So to try and simplify and give me a starting point i separated up the space by the columns and the exterior walls which helps to define the shape of the space that i have to work with and makes the ground floor seem more manageable. I think at this point i need to go back and look at some more hotel receptions just so that i get a better idea of how they have been laid out before, just so that i don't end up wasting any space.

Hotel research....turning into design development

The initial shock of the deadline given to us to complete the hotel design project has worn off now and instead I'm just trying to get down to work...saying this starting the project is easier said than done. The problem for me with this brief is that the final product seems to be very open ended, we have to show something like 2 public spaces, a room and something else.

Feeling lost i spoke to a tutor last week about where i was in the project, after talking to me for a while she introduced me to MARISCAL. This studios work is really though provoking and playful, especially the Ikea restaurant where he creates a false ceiling out of strips of wood that seem to be peeled directly from the walls themselves and made good use of some crab lamps to add even more vibrancy to the space. I think this playfulness and innovative use of materials is the perfect angle that i should be aiming for.

Ace hotels also were nice enough to give me some high quality photographs of there interiors for my research. They made me think about where i should be putting the reception desk in the hotel...we were told that it was a bad idea to put it facing the door and that it scares customers of but i think it is better to see straight away where to check in so that you can get to your room faster?