Sector: Hotels and leisure
Project stage: Complete
Gibberd were appointed as executive architect and Lead Consultant for the construction of the new Cigar Terraces to The Wellesely Hotel which is located in the Belgravia Conservation Area of London. The hotel is named after Sir Arthur Wellesley, the building was originally one of the station entrances to Hyde Park Corner tube and retains the historic ox blood glazed terracotta faience blocks of the Leslie Green facade. The original building was converted into a luxury boutique hotel by Gibberd, the hotel provides 38 bedrooms and a rooftop penthouse with views over Hyde Park.
The development of the cigar terrace is designed to sit over the forecourt area of the hotel, positioned either side of the portico entrance. The forecourt of the hotel sits over the existing infrastructure of the Piccadilly Line and affords London Underground access across the site, which was maintained throughout the construction phase and presented a number of logistical challenges and loading restrictions to the forecourt area and informed the construction solution to the scheme.
The concept of the terrace design was two fold, firstly to reveal the historic Leslie Green elevation of the existing building for the enjoyment of passers-by and to introduce the public artwork of the artist Lee Simmons, which is visible from the public realm and afford guests to the terraces views of the greenery and trees of Hyde Park situated opposite the hotel.
The scheme is a fully glazed canopy and structure, incorporating a fretted bronze screen which was designed by the artist Lee Simmons. The concept for the artwork was born out of the idea of constructing a surface that reflects and captures an essence of the adjacent Hyde Park. The bronze screen and buds are a permeable surface which capture pockets of light and glances of the historic façade of the hotel, while the bronze cast buds capture the essence of flora forms.
