Client Paul Street Hotel LLP
Location London, UK
Status Planning Approved
Jestico + Whiles have designed a 145-room hotel on Paul Street, in the heart of Shoreditch, London. Our design responds to the long-established urban hierarchy along the street, whereby the height of buildings steps down from north to south, from a maximum height at neighbouring Leonard Circus. Whilst the site is not in a conservation area, it is in a fascinating area of disparate architectural languages, dominated by Victorian and Edwardian warehouses. Our design provides legibility to the streetscape and references the area’s rich history.
Our building establishes a height that mediates between the recently consented Development House and the existing Clere St to the south, effectively reinforcing the gradual descent in overall height of the buildings and reinstating the legibility and cohesion of the street.
The elevation of the hotel makes subtle reference to the historic legacy of the craft of joinery and furniture making in the area, with the expression of the façade through visible “bird’s mouth” joints at every junction, directly inspired by the joints used in traditional carpentry.
Embossed into the surface of the elevation is an abstract motif, evoking the fine grain of crown cut timber that was worked in this location for centuries. The bay windows will be in frames of oxidised bronze colour.
Having now gained planning consent, our building has been described in the case officer’s report as “a bold, architectural gesture which is high quality and considered to be a positive addition within this varied local context.”
