The Westin London City
A milestone project inspired by city and river
The brand’s UK debut, The Westin London City is described by Sleeper Magazine as a ‘milestone project’.
The hotel has nine luxury apartments, 222 guestrooms, a spa and swimming pool, extensive conference and banqueting facilities, a riverside restaurant and bar.
We were approached by developer 4C Hotel Group to redesign a scheme with existing hotel planning permission. The site, between the City of London and the River Thames, is constrained by three scheduled monuments below ground, the river, the St. Paul’s Cathedral height limitations, and a retained bridge structure.
In response to this challenging plot we designed a distinctive wedge-shaped building. As well as making good use of the site, this created two important public access elements, connecting the City with the river and joining the walkway between Albert Embankment and the Tower of London.
Architecture and construction
The building is anchored by solid stone bases. Glass and metal cladding relieve the upper storeys where angled bedroom windows create fantastic city views. The building’s lower levels house the hotel’s public areas. A double-height glazed lobby and bar provide panoramic views across the River Thames towards Shakespeare’s Globe and Bankside.
The existing bridge structure was used to house public areas, four floors of guestrooms, and a plant deck, along with the necessary structure, and M&E. The entire site sits within the viewing corridor between Greenwich and St Paul’s Cathedral. For such a large building, the hotel only touches the ground in a few places and more or less fills the site where it does.
The centre section of the building bridges a major arterial road through the City of London. Large crash decks had to be built over the road on both sides to allow demolition and then construction to take place safely.
“The Westin London City has it all: three scheduled monuments, four sites, archaeological works, an existing bridge structure over one of the primary arterial routes through the City of London, the St Paul’s height limitations and a brief to create an exemplar distinct hotel & apartments, with two restaurants, a spa, ballroom and meeting facilities.”
“Working on a project of this scale, on a land-locked site as complex as this, comes with its challenges – but out of the challenges comes a remarkable hotel, capturing both the vibrancy of the City and the historic power and restfulness of the river. It has taken eleven years to come to fruition but we are overjoyed at what has been achieved.”
“Studio Moren’s design is both sensitive to our requirements and the demands of the challenging plot. The complicated nature of the build meant we had to develop a close working relationship during the design and construction phases. We have been impressed by their ability to problem-solve, and provide a workable design, without compromising the architectural integrity of the building.”
We couldn’t be more pleased with the results. What was once a collection of four outdated office buildings, is now a cohesive piece of landmark architecture.
Interior Design Overview
Using Westin’s biophilic design ethos and wellbeing brand pillars as the starting point for our interior scheme. Our concept contrasts ideas of natural and man-made, city and river, with elements responding to the concept of an estuary where the two forms can meet and merge together.
Neutral backdrops, built upon with soft tonal colourways, create undistracted views of the river and city. Layering materials introduces depth and interest, while the serene palette of natural colours is enlivened with contrasting tones and textures.
Materials in the City side of the hotel are inspired by the surrounding architecture, suiting and history of fabric dying, referenced through formal linear oak wall panelling, deep ink dyed hues and crisp tailored fabrics within the conference areas to the north.
As guests move south towards the river they experience more free-flowing organic forms with a feature paper sculpture, by Dutch paper artist Peter Gentenaar, cascading through the atrium, and a wave-like ceiling in the bar which sits above the water. Spaces are unified through the use of bath stone on the walls which relates back to the Roman Bathhouse that originally formed part of the site.
“Our philosophy is to create original and unique designs specific to each project. The steep site stretching from St Paul’s to the River Thames, with guest entry points at the north and south, demanded a distinctive response. We created a unique layout with the main reception centrally located on the 4th floor, and the creation of an impressive space known as The Haven on the ground floor to welcome guests.”
Channelling modern elegance, in the guestrooms and suites we used natural calm colours to create rooms that are personal, instinctive and have a sense of renewal. Bespoke lighting captures Westin’s biophilic ethos. Original statement pieces have been incorporated where possible, as well as custom joinery such as curved sofas, desks and headboards.
“While the different areas of the hotel retain their own character reflecting their immediate context, we managed to skilfully link and unify these spaces using a curated selection of finishes, furniture, fixtures and equipment and artwork. Our intention was to approach the brand’s look and feel from a fresh perspective, creating a hotel that would truly encompass contemporary elegance. The overall effect is one of paired back luxury with a modern residential look and feel.”
The interiors truly root the hotel in the neighbourhood, with a modern elegance which communicates a fresh perspective on the Westin brand.
Awards and nominations
- Client
- 4C Hotel Group
- Location
- London, United Kingdom
- Status
- Completed 2021
- Uses
- Hotel
- Size
- 222 keys
- Creds
- BREEAM Excellent
- Photos
- Andy Stagg