Design Finding calm
he no man’s land of time zones, where bleary- eyed travellers weary from long-haul flights cross paths with fresh-faced holidaymakers and business day-trippers alike: airports are places to pass through. No one wants to be there longer than necessary, yet sometimes a flight in the middle of the night or at the crack of dawn necessitates a stay at a runway-adjacent hotel. It is an unappealing prospect for most, who might expect a basic room illuminated by the white lights of the airstrip, or sleep broken by the roar of jet engines. But the latest airport lodgings show that not to be the case, using a multitude of clever design tactics to ensure that every guest sleeps well and starts the next day feeling relaxed, rejuvenated and ready for the journey ahead.
T
in the storm
How do you create the perfect oasis for people stopping over between different time zones? From lighting and soundproofing to designing a welcoming communal space, Kaunteya Chitnis of MCR, Jonathan Manser of the Manser Practice and Maarten de Geus of Concrete Amsterdam speak to Brooke Theis about the elements of a great airport hotel.
So, how does one create a haven within the hullabaloo of a busy airport? “The first thing to realise is that windows will not open; fixed windows keep out both noise and the smell of aviation fuel,” says CEO of the Manser Practice Jonathan Manser, who worked on the interiors of the Heathrow Terminal 4 Hilton Hotel. “We created windows at each end of the atrium that are single sheets of glass, 2.4m apart, and used the air gap in between for heat recovery and as a thermal buffer. This results in no sound when jets go past the window as they take off.” Additionally, Manser stresses the significance of insulating the walls and roof of an airport hotel to control the level of noise heard from inside the guest rooms.
Maarten de Geus of Concrete Amsterdam, who led the design of citizenM’s hotels at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, adds that it is important to consider internal noise as well to ensure optimum sleep quality. “We even made sure the air circulation is very low in volume, so you don’t hear it,” he says.
Hotel Management International /
www.hmi-online.com
47
citizenM, Paris Charles de Gaulle
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