Hotel Puerta America, Madrid

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=170 BGCOLOR="#003366" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="artotels.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Artotels"><U>Art'otels</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="broom.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Broomhill Art Hotel, North Devon"><U>Broomhill Art Hotel, North Devon</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="merrion.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Merrion Hotel, Dublin"><U>Merrion Hotel, Dublin</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="siru.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hotel Siru, Brussels,"><U>Hotel Siru, Brussels,</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="hotel_holt_iceland.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hotel Holt, Reykjavik, Iceland"><U>Hotel Holt, Reykjavik, Iceland</U></A></div> <div> <B>Hotel Puerta America, Madrid</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id80.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hotel Urban, Madrid"><U>Hotel Urban, Madrid</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="kunstler.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hotel Kunstlerheim Luise, Berlin"><U>Hotel Kunstlerheim Luise, Berlin</U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#CC99CC" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#663366" FACE="Arial" >Artful Hotels of the World</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#663399" FACE="Times New Roman" >    </FONT> |    <B> </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#6633CC" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Artful Hotels of the World"><U><B>home</B></U></A></FONT></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" >back to</FONT> <B> </B><A HREF="europe.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Europe and Britain"><U><B>Europe and Britain</B></U></A></div> <div> <IMG SRC="055f0030.png" border=0 width="496" height="3" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>Hotel Puerta America, Madrid</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Hotel of dreams</B></I> is what the Silken-Group has called its new Hotel Puerta America in Madrid.    <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >The hotel was designed by a team of 19 designers and architects, each in charge of a specific floor or area.   </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Each architect was given the same room grid for the $97-million Madrid project, and within those parameters, they had complete freedom.  And there was one additional request to the architects from  Hoteles Silken, the Barcelona, Spain-based chain of more than 20 Spanish hotels -- they asked the architects to not talk to one another.</div> <bR> <div> The result, which opened during the summer of 2005, is an astonishing and diverse group of unique and personal interpretations of what a hotel room should be.</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="11743f30.png" border=0 width="323" height="243" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="10" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> Jean Nouvel was commissioned to design the 12th floor and facade, considered to be a crossroads between art and architecture "which allows guests to experience extraordinary moments."   Nouvel's facade is a multicolor scheme that at moments spells out fragments of a poem ('Liberty') by Paul Eluard in different languages. </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> Zaha Hadid, Pritzker prize-winner, designed the first floor, characterized by the fluidity of the spaces based on new developments in digital design.  </div> <bR> <div> The second floor was created by Norman Foster, in an attempt to envelop guests with serenity, enabling them to disconnect from the hustle and bustle of the big city. </div> <bR> <div> David Chipperfield designed the third floor, a creation that combines hand-made floorings, upholstered walls, and white marble. </div> <bR> <div> Plasma Studio, formed by Eva Castro and Hoger Kehne, was commissioned to create the fourth floor. Their aim was to "move away from the stereotype of a hotel as an anodyne and homogenous place, experimenting with the differentiation of space by developing the surface areas." </div> <bR> <div> Vitorio & Lucchino from Seville designed the fifth floor, giving the space a warm, welcoming and comfortable atmosphere by applying the conceptual values that they often use in fashion. </div> <bR> <div> The sixth floor and bar area were designed by Marc Newson, who opted for a modern and relaxing environment, combining warm and cool materials where any guest "can feel comfortable at once."  He has used soft-edged furniture for which he has become known, in his trademark orange.  </div> <bR> <div> The seventh floor was designed by Ron Arad, who organized the space in a highly expressive and imaginative way, in keeping with his view of design. His interpretation is bold, tracing the outline of how the hotel of the future should be.  Plasma-blue light pools beneath bulbous walls, making them shrink and swell like an asylum seen through the eyes of an inmate.  The bed is a red circle in a black ring, the bathroom an open-plan installation cast entirely in blood-red acrylic. </div> <bR> <div> Kathryn Findlay, a Scottish architect who has spent many years in Japan, designed the eighth floor, recreating a place of meditation where one can dream and experience the feeling of floating on clouds. In collaboration with Findlay,   Jason Bruges created interactive lighting installations for the lobby and corridors which react as guests walk through. </div> <bR> <div> On the ninth floor, Richard Gluckman, an American architect celebrated for his exquisite white cube art galleries, made maximum use of a wide range of materials, using acrylic in original and unexpected ways.  "What is appealing to me is the anonymity of hotel rooms," he said. He wanted his rooms to be spacious yet intimate, comfortable but not homey.  His design uses cement board as a wall liner, and glass and granite in the bathroom, and features a translucent sanded-acrylic wall with recessed boxes for the TV, mini-bar and other elements. The muted color scheme includes gray, pale yellow and light blue.</div> <bR> <div> Arata Isozaki offers guests a minimalist feel on the 10th floor, emphasizing a subtle and relaxing theme with Japanese influences.  A shoji-style screen throws chequerboard shadows on the black lacquered furniture in a futuristic evocation of the pleasures of the night. </div> <bR> <div> The 11th floor was designed by Javier Mariscal and Fernando Salas, who aimed to create a welcoming space that provokes different sensations, particularly through the use of graphic design. Catalan designer Mariscal rejected high-sheen chic and went for "normal pillows, white towels, taps that run hot when you turn them to the left. Someone had to bring down the budget." </div> <bR> <div> John Pawson was in charge of the hotel foyer and reception rooms, where he sought to create "a space where you can find peace and tranquility right in the heart of the hotel." </div> <bR> <div> Christian Liaigre designed the restaurant, combining different aspects of Spanish culture, specifically from the regions of Galicia, Catalonia and Andalusia.</div> <bR> <div> Teresa Sapey gave shape to the car park, which has 644 parking spaces. She plays with color and graphics, which "appeal to the emotional side of the individual, but where functionality is essential." </div> <bR> <div> The landscaping projects, such as the garden and park adjoining the hotel, were created by Harriet Bourne and Jonathan Bell. In their opinion, "integration between vegetation and buildings is fundamental". </div> <bR> <div> Isometrix Lighting and Design worked alongside the architects, creating lighting designs that adapt to the projects of each of the different designers. </div> <bR> <div> Felipe Sáez de Gordoa (SGA Estudio) was in charge of the hotel structure. </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>