#COMMERCIAL ARCHITECTURE PROJECTS
Dream Downtown Hotel
A converted hotel by Handel Architects,This building was now covered in a stainless steel skin, and a smaller volume on West 16th Street.
In the 1960s Albert C. Ledner designed a pair of buildings in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood for the National Maritime Union, both punctuated appropriately by porthole-shaped windows.Handel Architects found inspiration in the round windows and gave Dream Downtown some contemporary flair, inside and out. The architects answered some questions about the recently completed building.
What were the circumstances of receiving the commission for this project?
After meeting the owner in a prior setting we received a call asking to meet on site within the hour. We did and were engaged to help them understand the property and its feasibility as a hotel. After that we were asked to compete in a short-list interview process for both the architecture and the interiors. We presented concepts for both exterior and interior design, and several of these concepts were well received. Some of the concepts, such as keeping the porthole windows, or creating a glass-bottom pool, were developed further. The client liked these design approaches, and we were engaged to do the entire project.
Can you describe your design process for the building?
As a starting point, we had a series of discussions with the owner about saving the building, even though we knew that it had to be altered dramatically to achieve their programmatic goals. We talked at length about saving the round, porthole windows, despite concerns that their reuse may not sufficiently distinguish their brand from the adjacent hotel, which used similarly shaped windows. The Dream brand is rooted in the overarching idea of being able to transport yourself somewhere else. We saw the round window as the “portal” for this to happen. We also wanted our intervention to connect with the deeper structure of the place while addressing the new conditions of the hotel program. The aspect of the existing building that was important for us to preserve was its “otherness,” its juxtaposition to everything around it, and that’s what we tried to preserve and amplify.
How does the completed building compare to the project as designed? Were there any dramatic changes between the two and/or lessons learned during construction?
It is one of those unique projects where the result is very close to the concept.
How does the building compare to other projects in your office, be it the same or other building types?
Handel Architects has completed a wide variety of project types, from large-scale residential developments to small public projects. While our hospitality work has traditionally focused on the larger, more traditional hotel operators – we’ve done multiple projects for Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, and W, for example – we also love the opportunity to work with the boutique brands.
Are there any new/upcoming projects in your office that this building’s design and construction has influenced?
You move ahead by doing and learning, so the unique research and invention for the design for Dream Downtown continues to be an impetus for our new work.
