New York State of Mind - Design Bureau

LOBBY 2_Adrian Gaut

GUESTROOOM 3_Adrian Gaut

Leave a Reply

New York State of Mind

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2014

Photos by Adrian Gaut, agaut.com

By Emma Janzen

Amsterdam-based architecture and interior-design firm Concrete had to think like the locals to capture the spirit of Times Square in the latest CitizenM hotel in New York City.

The new 21-story space, located in Midtown Manhattan, is the first stateside property in the global CitizenM hotel chain, which has five other European locations. From the start, Concrete wanted every aspect of the 230-room space to “merge into the local context yet still be recognizable as a CitizenM property,” according to Erikjan Vermeulen, architect and partner at Concrete. From the entry-level plaza and lobby to the individual rooms, Vermeulen and his team established a loud, vivacious energy through the use of space, color, artwork, and furniture.

“First, we set the building back from the street, creating an entrance plaza, and we designed a double-height ground-floor space—all to create a fluent transition between the street and the interiors, drawing the dynamics of the city into our hotel,” Vermeulen says.

Double-height cabinets, large lanterns, and an open mezzanine working space all add to that dynamic and create the feeling that the hotel is part of the fabric of the city itself.

The hotel’s artwork selection also conveys the active, eclectic feeling of contemporary New York. The walls act as a virtual gallery with works by Andy Warhol, David LaChappelle, and Daido Moriyama dispersed throughout the many public spaces. The standout piece in the lobby, a 26-foot-tall installation by Julian Opie, was designed specifically for the hotel, and on the exterior façade, a Jen Liu commission wraps around the building to help draw passersby inside.

Vermeulen says that the New York outpost of the hotel chain is one of the most unique to date, thanks to the local aspects integrated into the design. “We are very happy and proud—not only adding a unique CitizenM to the CitizenM family, but also to have been able to design a building in one of the most inspiring cities in the world.”

Tagged with: