The Curtain Hotel, Shoreditch
Industrial heritage for the 21st Century
We led the architectural design and build for the nine-storey, 120-room Curtain Hotel. It was hotelier Michael Achenbaum’s decade-long vision to create a conceptual venue in London. Achenbaum wanted an area that was ahead of the curve, but also growing organically to appeal to the creative community. Shoreditch has a rich industrial heritage that attracts high-tech and creative industries. The design needed to both reflect the area’s industrial past and current position as the unofficially christened cool capital of London.
"This was an interesting job to run for several reasons. The cultural clashes arising from a diverse project team of French contractor, New York based hotel operator, Texan interior designer and mainly British consultant team, made for lively discussions and some amusing lost in translation moments."
It was also great to work in the centre of Shoreditch and play our part in evolving this dynamic and fast changing corner of the city.
A rich history
The site’s most recent incarnation as a 1970s office block disguises a fascinating history. It was once reputedly a burial ground for victims of the great plague before being used as a dumping ground for rubbish from the 1666 Great Fire of London. Houses were built in 1787 for London’s growing population while small manufacturing premises and warehouses were added in the late 18th and 19th centuries.
The new landmark hotel is designed to enhance rather than dominate its surroundings. The warehouse and cabinet factory that stood on the site until 1922 inspired the façade design. The use of red brick with large framed Crittall-style windows complements the urban aesthetic giving the building character and an identity of its own.
Deep window reveals and full height glazing are similar in scale to those of existing warehouses. In these buildings the block is broken up by ‘delivery’ doors to the warehouses. This also has the visual effect of breaking down a large plot into a more residential scale. Double volume light-filled spaces on the ground floor and a number of entrances connect the building to its surrounding streetscape.
The industrial aesthetic is continued internally with rooms and suites featuring exposed brick walls, hardwood flooring and black-framed factory windows. Courtyard guestrooms look into a light well, and come with separate toilet and a large shower room. Loft suites have their own large terraces with city views.
A rooftop terrace offers views of the east London skyline. It features a Moroccan-style heated pool and LIDO bar & restaurant with a retractable roof for spatial efficiency.
The hotel also includes a private members club, several bars, a sound-proofed basement live performance venue, a state-of-the-art gym, wellness area, members lounge, screening room and the Red Rooster restaurant and taqueria by acclaimed chef Marcus Samuelsson on the ground floor.
Awards and nominations
- Client
- Gansevoort Hotel Group
- Location
- London, United Kingdom
- Status
- Completed 2017
- Uses
- Hotel & Members Club
- Size
- 120 keys
- Creds
- BREEAM Excellent
- Photos
- Niall Clutton & Mondrian, Adrian Houston, Andy Stagg, Justin Trickett
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