Hotel Perenne
4240 architecture project team - Andy McRae, Principal Felix Tannenbaum, Designer Emile Shulte, Ben Ludeman, Kevin Vu Shalls Design Studio project team - Sara Shalls, Crystal Nodsle
Contemporary & Classical
The Client did not offer us too much guidance when we began; we only knew that they liked that which spoke to the past and to the present. This hotel was to be a legacy project for their family, located in an area where previous generations of their family had lived. As we began designing we were aiming to create something that respected the area historically, but also something that is definitively of this time and moment.
site
Denver circa 1908 The Site is located in the Highland’s Neighborhood - historically the neighborhood has differentiated itself from the polluted train yards of denver by defining itself as something of a natural utopia- a quiet verdant eden, filled with fresh air, gardens and refined elegant architecture.
Urban Utopia
site
Denver circa 2020 This idea of a verdant urban utopia began to be the central theme of the hotel: It is to be a place defined by grace, a place of rest, of growth, a calm garden overlooking the chaos of the city.
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site 2
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The Narrangset hotel, which existed a couple of blocks away a century before. Shown here not to suggest a direct influence on our design, but instead because it illustrates a historical typology we wanted to incorporate- the building is composed of smaller, elements into a cohesive whole. This building has a very typical composition of the era: 1 - Top - Clearly defined @ articulated 2 - Middle - Defined as vertical bays 3 - Base - Defined as a stable horizontal ‘heavy’ expression
Historical Form
site
Though few of the older smaller residential buildings remain in the neighborhood today, you can see in all of them that there was an interest in decoration and beautification, even the humblest examples. Small celebratory ornaments were definitely part of this past, part of a neighborhood that was strove to be ideal, harmonic, beautiful. Moving forward we wanted to bring that level of special detail into this hotel and restaurant’s facade.
Historical Detailing
Line and Contrast
Balance and Composition
CDMX
Color and Texture
tactile, humane beauty of the city. As we started to think of this as a utopian hotel, we couldn’t help but think of CDMX again; of it’s colors, of it’s textures, of it’s easy, earthy, sophisticated grace.
We started this project weeks after several members of 4240 had been visiting Mexico City where we were blown away by the
Atmosphere and Mood
Light and Shadow
hey, look at that!
Mexico City it is a place that is capable of giving surprisingly delightful sensation- it is filled with a very bold and unapologetic romanticism about architecture, about food, about design, about life. This physicality - this materiality - is something we really wanted to emphasize and celebrate - this architecture is about cultivating and celebrating the pleasure, the romance, the beauty of being alive.
Site, overlooking I-25
Finding Form
The program arranged on site.
Ground floor recessed at alley to allow for delivery, recessed from 18th st sidewalk to allow for exiting at grade.
Large bay windows given to each room in to celebrate the views of downtown Denver. 18th street wing pushed to align with structure below.
Vertical bays created in main mass to break heavy grid, Central st top floor and base created as horizontal frames for views in and out.
Ornament and detail applied.
The building’s mass and general shape were determined by the programmatic needs of the Hotel and it’s interaction with the working needs of the site. Compositionally, we wanted to make a building with some historical references as well as some references to the ornate Deco facades in Mexico City.
Choosing the right material for the project, one that would exist in harmony with the composition of the building, its context and with the philosophical aims of the project was a big task.
Historically the neighborhood was predominantly built of brick, and we wanted to honor that, but we also wanted to create something that was special and beautiful. We chose these japanese porcelain tiles for the special high touch areas - porcelain to honor the tradition of terra cotta and ceramic ornament, but also because of it tactility and its charm as an object. Having materials that were visually harmonic with each other while still remaining affordable was important, and these three did so. Additionally, by the time we were finding material, the name Perenne had been chosen- the word is Spanish for Evergreen, perpetual, everlasting- it seemed appropriate and desirable to get a bit of green in the facade.
Central Street Facade
18th Street Facade
Axonometric
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Entrance
The rosette is an abstracted rosebud in honor of one of the grandmothers of the client, who had adored roses. We wanted to create a decorative piece which reflected tradition and the neighborhood, but we wanted it to be contemporary and wanted it to have something special about it. The idea of a lit rosette came from downtown Denver’s own Gas and Electric Building.
Rosettes
Interiors dfasd
HOTEL
Interiors Restaurant and Lobby
TBD TILE
Wood Floor Throughout
The interiors team at Shalls Design Studio worked with the same theme of a real verdant and romantic space. Emphasis was placed on texture, color, and a romantic contemporary sort of harmony.
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