HOTEL REVIEW
ABOVE LEFT: Guestrooms feature enlarged images of the orchard behind the hotel, Tektura wallpaper, headboards upholstered by Vescom UK and chairs by Morgan Furniture RIGHT: The bathrooms feature either showers with shower pebbles installed for water conservation, or Kaldewei baths
– something of a recurring theme within
the building – provide a constant sense of contact with the outdoors.
Ground floor dining area Bramleys brasserie is a similarly flexible space, thanks to timber partition walls that can be used to separate the bar from the atrium. “The important thing was connecting with the architecture and creating different sub spaces,” says Graven Images founding partner Ross Hunter. “There is a real hierarchy of space within the building and it was all about playing with that and exaggerating it.”
This simplistic and playful approach to the design is also evident in The Orchard’s 202 guestrooms, which feature a palette of oak, accented by felted wool, simple textures and a clean colour scheme. An enlarged photo of a tree canopy taken in the orchard behind the hotel acts as a feature wall, while coat stands resembling tree branches are a quirky reminder of the property’s woodland setting. “The baseline for the project was built around a three-star model, but the ambition was to do something which felt much more like a four-star product,” says Hunter. “We had a clear vision of the style we wanted to achieve.” In terms of making the hotel as sustainable
as possible, Jones and his team focused firstly on incorporating ‘passive’ environmental measures into the building’s design. This included positioning the building on the plot to maximise the natural daylight, installing structural insulated panels (SIPs) in the exterior walls for high thermal performance, allocating expansive window space and constructing 1,600m2
space spread across both wings and the main atrium.
Additional renewable energy features include ground source heat pumps bored 75-100m deep into the earth, photovoltaic panels installed on the roof and combined heat and power (CHP) technology used throughout the building to generate electricity that can be either used within the hotel or sent to the University’s high voltage ring main to serve the other buildings on campus. The photovoltaic panels provide around 4-5% of the building’s energy.
The Orchard is still undoubtedly a commercial adventure – rooms are equipped with air conditioning, for example, yet it automatically switches off if a window is opened. “It is as green as possible but for 21st century users,” says Jones. “We hope the building’s envelope does most of the work.”
092 MARCH / APRIL 2013
WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM
of biodiverse green roof
EXPRESS CHECKOUT
The Orchard Hotel University Park The University of Nottingham Nottingham NG7 2RJ UK Tel: +44 (0)844 980 8054
www.deverevenues.co.uk
202 guestrooms Bramleys Brasserie Lobby Bar Gym Four meeting rooms, mezzanine level for private hire
Developer / Owner: The University of Nottingham Operator: De Vere Group Architect: RHWL Architects Designers: Graven Images
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164