IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, has signed a landmark deal to bring boutique upscale brand Hotel Indigo® to Kuala Lumpur in partnership with Techvance Properties Management Sdn. Bhd. Scheduled to open in 2023, the original 13-storey office building was converted into a 180-room Hotel will be located at the base of the picturesque Bukit Nanas, next to KL Tower and KL Forest Eco Park, in the heart of Malaysia’s capital city.
The design philosophy of Hotel Indigo across the world is a celebration of its neighbourhood, telling the stories of its people, places, and traditions. Hotel Indigo Kuala Lumpur on the Park curating spaces and experiences that illuminate the beauty of Malaysia multicultural influences embedded through a visionary design which captures the historical charm of local heritage buildings and the breadth of nearby modern architecture. Connection and integration with the urban context of the surrounding area is also one of the most important consideration. With greenery from one of the country’s oldest forest reserves woven throughout the hotel with memorable natural green features in the lobby till the roof top outdoor pool which provide a spot of serenity amidst the bustle of the city in a secret garden. The hotel’s two restaurant and bar options are heavily influenced by its locality. The rustic, industrial chic of the Neighborhood Café offers a taste of local Malaysian cuisine with a modern spin, while silver monkey Bistro and Bar provides a more casual setting and the chance for guests to visit the rooftop bar and enjoy a sunset cocktail with sweeping iconic views of KL Tower, the Petronas Twin Towers, Merdeka 118 and the urban landscape of KL.
The Hotel Indigo guest is known as UPBEAT CURIOUS TRAVELLERS – people who are inspired by new places, new people and new ideas. By consciously bring what's outside the door, inside; drawing on the story of KL local area to inspire every aspect of the hotel, from an intriguing design touch to a distinctive local ingredient on the restaurant’s menu.
The guest bedrooms are full of wow-unique décor, contemporary furnishing with the touch of unique neighborhood story woven into local cultural fabric and inviting unexpected discovery to the guest. Delivering the Neighborhood Story is what drives the authentic narrative of the design philosophy.
The Hotel Indigo Kuala Lumpur on the Park is within walking distance of the main financial district, shopping at KLCC and Pavilion Mall at Bukit Bintang, and a diverse range of dining options at Jalan Alor and Petaling Street's infinite rows of hawker stalls. The area is immersed in cultural charisma, with historic landmarks and icons, and is bounded by strips of hip restaurants and bars along Changkat Bukit Bintang and Chinatown.
Hotel Indigo Kuala Lumpur on the Park is strategically located in the heart of KL Forest Eco Park with the grand entrance greeted by the iconic KL tower; within walking distance of the main financial district and shopping district at Petronas Twin Towers.
The origin 13-storey office building existing structure was adaptive reuse and repurpose into the new Hotel Indigo as one way to breath new life into old buildings, and at the same time conserve the historical value and local resources. By conserving the existing old building structure, the architect introduce a modern contemporary façade which juxtaposition against the old surrounding building, the curtain glass facades which reflecting the surrounding environment on it’s new building envelop make it seems like invisible emerging with the skyline , whilst still having individuality that make the hotel a landmark.
The entrance and reception area is an intimate space focusing on a “welcome home” sense of arrival. The guest’s arrival should be a fully immersive sensory experience. By passing through the driveway ramp to reach the hotel drop off area, there will be a three-storey height grand feature natural stone wall with the green forest elements inviting the guest towards the arrival hall.
A rich combination of natural selective material finishes like wood and stones continuity from the wall to floor with accent furniture pieces showcasing Malaysia as a tropical country with 67% of its land is covered by rainforest . That initial sense of excitement is enhance once the guest walk into the casual yet contemporary reception and view the defining pieces of artwork through tactile experiences.
At the hotel’s lobby, a mesmerizing staircase constructed by reclaimed wood and steel rebar structure accompanied by hanging plants on the ceiling and wall allow the guests to experience the enchanting tropical rainforest in Malaysia.
Neighborhood café (Wok Star)
An animated restaurant experience focused the very best artisanal food and drink craft, often made famous by the local area. The guests may feel the taste of the very best of the area offered, and are energized by the local community.
Transformation of the all-day dining into an innovative dining experience which able to transition easily from day to night by using lighting and furniture.
After a long day at work or sightseeing through the city, the guests are looking forward to indulging themselves in a luxurious and characterful swimming pool. Hotel Indigo offer a well-equipped fitness room to the guests’ rejuvenation. The design can bring the fresh and vibrant circumference to the guests.
Guests continue to soak in the Neighborhood Story as they walk from the lift lobby to their room. This route is vibrant and creative, and showcases the depth of the story as well as the richness of the neighborhood and the unique characteristics of the hotel.
A typical floor contains 14 units of guest rooms with mostly intermediate standard deluxe room and 4 corner unique suite with the best views of the twin towers and the Merdeka 118 Tower.
The guest room is key to the guest experience. It gives guests an immediate sense of place and is filled with interesting elements and detailing that is waiting to be discovered which reflects the local neighborhood culture and Malaysia's Vernacular Architecture. The philosophy of Hotel Indigo is to give guest a sophisticated feature when entering the guestroom.
The main challenge for this project was the limited site area, nestled between the neighbour building which hindered construction progress. Building materials could only be hoisted up by using the construction crane with a minimum storage space, and the concreting work also using the same crane. Therefore, the construction progress take longer period to complete.
The advantageous location allows the building to have dual frontage, it can be accessed either at the ground or level 5. Designer transform the main entrance from ground to level 5 which is more exposed to the public and provide a better vehicular and pedestrian approach. In additional, the hotel entrance is facing to the landmark Kuala Lumpur Tower attracting the tourists.
Vehicle lift & Car turn table adopted in the design due to limited building foot plinth to ease vehicle movement.
Aluminum Composite Panels (ACP) is extensively used on the building façade due to its lightweight and durability to Malaysia's tropical weather, not only to camouflage the old and new building structure, but also to provide a contemporary and minimalist appearance to the building.
Playing with random protruded window frame on façade to create overhang for avoiding direct sun’s rays. Aesthetically, different depth of shadows are formed by the different position of Sun throughout the day.
The main façade material is made from reflective glazing which gives the mirror-like appearance with the ACP frame in different protrusion. The outcome forms into pixelated paintings of the neighbourhood. From the internal perspectives, the huge glass window displays a panoramic view of the surrounding scenery. The reflective glass is used for fenestration because of its lower heat gain and the differential in temperature to provide a cozy ambience.
The mirror-like building created by the extensive used of reflective glazing on building façade and is designed in a way to give a frameless look below the crown of the building, creating a “floating effect” to the building as it reflects and merges perfectly with the sky. The façade changes colour with the weather and time of the day, contributing to the active nature of the design and gives an attractive and dynamic appearance to the building.
Escape corridor direct exposure to the external in order to provide sense of direction to the occupants in case of any emergency.
Designer have take into consideration of the universal design friendly to the Hotel Indigo. 2 nos of The American Disability Act (ADA) guest rooms are provided at level 11 & 12. ADA restroom also designated to the front of house area especially at the hotel lobby, café and restaurant.
Fire prevention or suppression systems:
(a) Fire Alarm System; (b) Automatic Sprinkler System; (c) Wet Riser System (d) Hose Reel System; (e) Automatic Total Flood Gas System; (f) Fire Extinguishers; (g) External Fire Hydrant System.
The custom stick curtain wall system enhances quality control during fabrication and facilitates rapid installation. High-performance insulating glass with an advanced, low-E coating optimizes thermal control while filling the interiors with ample natural light.
Use of drywall system to most of the compartmented wall at the guest room floor promoting the green design effort. Drywall system able to lighten the overall building weight by siting on top of the existing structure.
Choosing Aluminum Composite Panels (ACP) is a choice for sustainability since it is 100% recyclable and keeps all of its properties throughout the manufacturing and design process. Aluminum composite panels are as robust and lightweight as steel, decreasing the usage of steel in building design, as aluminum as a material helps to sustainable construction.
The hotels adopted real plant to brings a sense of liveliness and recreates the nature in surroundings. Rain water harvesting system allow for the reduction of dependency on the main water supply. Rain water to be reused for watering the plants for the entire areas of the hotel.
Behind the scenes
The services: HVAC systems, Water Storage, Heater, Ventilation are strategically well hidden behind the crown from the public eye due to recreational facilities located on the roof level.
The components are placed in compact behind the louvers structure for sufficient ventilation and cooling for the systems to run smoothly and at the same time we want the guest to be able to maximize use of the roof level for the views of Kuala Lumpur from the highest floor as it is the main attraction of the Hotel.
©Nexus Idea Consultancy Sdn Bhd
Heat exchanger to recover energy is adopted in the Hotel Indigo. Along the design process, the air conditioning system for corridors have been centralized, where instead of smaller outdoor units, now change to a comprehensive outdoor unit system at the mechanical level. Part of the heat dissipation from the main air conditioning system's outdoor unit is recovered, and used to supplement the hot water system, saving energy in the long run.
To reduce energy needed for the cooling of the building, heat recovery wheels are introduced to the restroom exhausts. The heat wheels rotate between the air streams and transfers energy between fresh air and exhaust air, precools the incoming fresh air hence reducing the cooling load of the building.
Due to the high energy consumption of the HVAC system of the hotel, solar panels were added onto the design. This is to utilize the natural sunlight as an alternative source of green energy for the hotel, reducing the cost of electricity bill in the long run.
LED lights are used as they consume at least 75% less energy, and last up to 25 times longer than the traditional incandescent light fittings, which saves on electricity bill in the long run.
