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Another hotel in Vancouver

University of British Columbia

The main preoccupation of this project is desire and pleasure.. The program of a hotel in Vancouver was the chosen vehicle for this project. One of the main ways hotels in Vancouver provide pleasure is through the provision of views of mountains and the harbour. The Landmark hotel for example (located across the street from the project site), distinguishes itself in its marketing brochure as "Vancouver's tallest hotel (with) tastefully appointed, air-conditioned rooms and suites that feature private balconies with unsurpassed views of Vancouver's scenic wonders." However, beyond the building's size and resulting viewing opportunity, the facility has very little to offer in terms of memorable character or identity. The second sentence describing the qualities of the hotel room amenities states that "Each room is equipped with state-of-the-art security and fire prevention systems, in-room movies and two-line telephones with computer access and voice-mail messaging." The third sentence describing the hotels again makes reference to view: "Enjoy fine dining in our Cloud Nine revolving restaurant, where the panoramic views are only surpassed by our fine cuisine and service that caters to your every. need." Commencing with the hotel room, the project challenges the position that the only thing worthy of attention from the hotel room is the distant view. The room's manipulation in plan and section provide a series of framed views through spaces with differing spatial and material character without departing from the typical thirteen by thirty foot shell of most hotel rooms. From the vanity the bedroom and sitting area are the foreground of the distant views. The strategy for the public spaces is similar. The lobby bar for example overlooks the lobby and the porte cochere. The restaurant overlooks a garden terrace with the view to the North Shore beyond. At mid-tower the Corkscrew Lounge overlooks a terrace which is foreground to the view over Robson Street. At the top the Umbrella ballroom overlooks the swimming pool as well as Stanley Park. The strategy for the pubic spaces in the middle and upper tower is also aided by the fact that they are seen from a distance in the city. They are formal exceptions read against the regular field of identical rooms. They advertise themselves as places of pleasure people in the city can imagine themselves in.

Thesis/Dissertation

application/pdf

2009-04-29

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/7683

Architecture

University of British Columbia

UBCV

DSpace