Project Orange - PO Cabin is an extension of a prototype room for a hotel in Shoreditch in which Project Orange explored a very similar room brief. The concrete bedroom uses textured and distressed materials — from a built-in bed constructed from reclaimed floorboards to a purposely distressed carpet underfoot. The distressed aesthetic is enhanced with quirky furnishings, such as a steamer trunk for clothes and a flight-case mini bar. — Photo by bdonline.co.uk
G1 Architecture - G1 Architecture has developed a concept around the principle of the three “E”s: Elegance, Experience and Economy. Elegance comes with the simplicity of the design, while experience is defined by the adaptability of the room. An oval space in the middle of the room contains washing facilities that can be configured to vary the level of privacy and the amount of free space. — Photo by bdonline.co.uk
Ian Springford Architects - The Myplace concept combines a crowd-sourcing ethos with a social network-style platform to allow the guest to choose the place and time for their transportable hotel room. Myplace pods are prefabricated and can be stacked, allowing five pods to be transported by one flatbed truck. Destinations are defined by the user and pods can be arranged into a variety of configurations, allowing the “hotel” to adapt completely to its guests’ requirements. — Photo by bdonline.co.uk
Ninian McQueen - Ninian McQueen’s project reverses the trend of low-ceilinged budget hotel rooms, by utilising a square plan and a more generous amount of headroom. The room is laid out with a standardised storage wall that contains a fold-out bed and a glass screen wet room that can be hidden away when not in use. — Photo by bdonline.co.uk

The competition, organised by the UK's leading architecture newspaper BD and Bdonline.co.uk, invited designers to develop a scheme that would make a tiny space (14sq m) feel generous and luxurious.

With budget accommodation accounting for over a third of the new hotels being built in the UK, the competition was a chance to shine a light on the lack of design innovation in these buildings.

The shortlisted designs range from colourful capsule pods that can travel around the country to minimalist square boxes with interactive screens instead of windows.

One predicts the needs of visitors by collecting information at check in and via social media, while another uses low-tech stage-set technology from the theatre to hide a sunken bath under a sliding bed.

"This is a sector that's in desperate need of reinvention. Most budget hotel rooms are boring and purely functional spaces," said BD editor-in-chief and competition judge Amanda Baillieu.

"The shortlisted entries are all very different but they share the same ambition - to create a really memorable experience."

The shortlisted designs can all be seen on Bdonline.co.uk:

  • Nicos Yiatros &Konstantinos Zaverdinos- The Infinity Room has a floating bed to give the room a sense of airiness and light while floor-to-ceiling windows bring the city into the room and an overspill takes the room out to the city.
  • VW & BS - A Room as a View is the simplest hotel room possible, a blank canvas to be personalised by texture and local style constructed. 90% of the space is created using a common modular structure while the remaining 10% is left to local designer.
  • Ian Springford Architects - Myplace combines crowd sourcing with social media to create a system that allows guests to choose the place and time for the transportable hotel room. The pre fabricated pods can be stacked and transported on a flatbed truck.
  • Project Orange - PO Cabin is an extension of a prototype room for a hotel in Shoreditch with a concrete room and built-in bed constructed from reclaimed floorboards. Materials are purposely distressed and enhanced with quirky furnishings including a flight-case mini bar and a steamer trunk.
  • Bright Space Architects - Plugin and Play features two pods, one for sleeping and showering and one for 'play'. The pods interlock to create flexible rooms and the interior of the 'play' pod is customisable via the online check-in system and social media.
  • Coupdeville Architects - The Configurator uses simple moving parts to create a series of different arrangements to make the most of the limited floor space. A sunken bath is covered by the sliding bed, designed along the lines of a stage set.
  • DeMatos Ryan- Make a Room removes all the usual walls that separate work, sleep, relax and wash spaces with wet and dry and soft and hard areas, and comfortable but durable materials.
  • G1 Architecture - A concept developed around three Es: elegance, experience and economy with a simple adaptable room that allows the visitor to change the layout to suit them.
  • Andrew Mulroy Architects - A minimal-width bathroom allows for a 2m-wide bed that can be used as a lounge area and an open floor space at the heart of the room.
  • Ninian McQueen- Reversing the trend of low-ceiling hotel rooms, the design proposes a small floor space and more generous headroom. A fold-out bed and wet screen can both be hidden away to create a bigger space.
  • CTHM - A prefabricated box made of an engineered wood with grooves for movable elements that allow visitors to move floor-to-ceiling curtains around and change the space as it suits them.
  • Michael Trentham Architects - Hotel Obscura deals with the idea of a windowless room by introducing large interactive screens showing real-time views of the visitor's choice which can also be used to access the Internet and entertainment systems.

About BD Small

BD Small is the first budget hotel room competition of its kind, organised by architect's newspaper BD and Bdonline and sponsored by Kaldewei.

The judging panel was chaired by BD editor in chief Amanda Baillieu and included Matthew Bell, manager of CitizenM Hotels, architect Peter Clash of Clash Associates and Tina Norden, associate director at the world-famous design practice Conran & Partners.

The winner will be revealed at the Sleep hotel conference in London on November 22nd and featured in BD and Bdonline.

Over 30 entries were received.

About BD and Bdonline

BD is the architects' favourite for all the latest news, building reviews and comment. Together with Bdonline it has a weekly reach of over 25,000 readers.

BD was named IBP Weekly Magazine of the Year 2011 and BDonline's editor was named BSME Business Web Editor of the Year.


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