the savoy
‘The Savoy has received universal praise for what has been achieved, which is wonderful. The Savoy is once again doing exactly what she is supposed to do and has surpassed expectations in the process. We have retained the original elements and worked to stay true to the concept but The Savoy was a very tired hotel and needed a lot of care to ensure that it was brought back to life successfully. There were so many different parts to the project; it grew and developed in a very organic manner. The Savoy now hosts a different ‘experience’ in every public room. The Riverside restaurant, for example, is one of my favourite rooms and is so because of its beautiful understated and sophisticated feeling. Together, with the client and the interior designer Pierre- Yves Rochon we have improved services, re-designed the structure and realised the design vision. It is still familiar but is much more elegant - The Grande Dame is back.’
The Big Budget: The Savoy project involved a very large budget to complete all the necessary and desired changes to the institution that is The Savoy. Were you set any limitations at all?
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The Savoy is a very functional yet beautiful hotel. It is a hotel for living in. There was very close control taken on all aspects of spending for the project. The costing was set out at the very beginning so we knew exactly what we had and knew what to work to. Having said this, nothing was compromised- we were able to achieve the very best because it was set out and executed in a very well thought out and methodical manner.
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Did you roll over budget in any areas that
required particular attention? Everything was planned with knowledge. No rash decisions were made so this kept any budget roll over to a minimum. When working within the building, we tried to anticipate what we
might find according to what we knew about the structure. With a wonderful building like The Savoy you discover things as you are progressing. The fabric of the building was actually in very good shape, there was some structural work to be done but with our forward planning, we managed to keep it within the allocated budget.
Time scale: The entire project ran over time by quite a considerable period. Was this down to finances or was it necessary to take the extra time to get ‘The Savoy Effect’ just right? Technically this was a unique project. 20 architects and technicians worked on site to ensure the smoothest possible process. Something on this scale will take time and effort to get it just right. From the beginning, we were very aware of the responsibility that we were taking on and, along with the interior designer, our commitment to the project was 100 per cent. We were
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given information at the beginning, which was from archives at The Savoy. These historical documents provided us with original drawings for the building, which were so valuable in moving forward with the plans for the hotel. To work on a historical building, we must know its history before we can begin to work on its future and this is exactly what we did.
For a project of this scale, it would usually take anywhere between 18 months to two years to complete. The vision for The Savoy evolved. What began as a relatively simple project, transformed into something much more, so we took the time necessary to get it just right. She is unique and must be treated that way. Preservation and respect for the building was key and it isn’t something you can rush.
Secrecy: The project itself was shrouded in mystery for such a long period of time and as a result has felt
Q Architects Choice 19
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