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2020 UDAD 🏆 Awards

Winner: Conrad Washington DC | Rottet Studio

Rottet Studio designed the interiors of the Conrad Hilton Washington DC as a contemporary rendition of the classic early American Town Square. This worldclass luxury hotel will cap the transformation of CityCenterDC, the 10-acre mixeduse development located in the heart of Washington, DC. In collaboration with Herzog & de Meuron, the hotel is designed as a destination for a new generation of global luxury travelers for whom life, business and pleasure seamlessly intersect. The design is a nod towards the significance of Washington, DC in America’s history and the making of the law. Featuring textured warm gray brown wood, white marble walls, shattered blue and white china and glass with linen and gold inside, the spaces celebrate the historical undercurrent of the nation’s capital. The conceptual study of light further illuminates the hotel’s interiors, with light in the corners running up, down and across the ceilings, and other light emitting from floating walls. Upon its completion, the development will carry the Rottet Studio signature of simple architectural moves paired with overly warm, contemporary
furniture.

Winner
Urban Design & Architecture Design Awards 2020

Conrad Washington DC
Hospitality Interior Design 

Firm
Rottet Studio

Architect/Designer
Lauren Rottet

Design Team
Lauren Rottet, FAIA, FIIDA; Anja Majkic, LEED AP; Kaitlin Borgen

Location
United States of America

Country
United States of America

Photographer/Copyright
©Eric Laignel

The design is intended to represent a restrained, minimalist expression of Purity of Design as in the colonial Shaker architectural tradition. The hotel lobby is organized as a modernist “village,” anchored by a central atrium surrounded by distinct spaces which emphasize natural light and views onto the cityscape and gardens. The atrium features natural materials constructed in an honest manner. Evoking early American taverns, warm wood walls indicate venues for food, beverage and celebration, while stone indicates more ceremonial space. Though the design is minimal and pure at first glance, it offers endless entertainment through the discovery of tiny details, light and reflections which will continue to surprise and delight.

Embracing while not mimicking historical influence, we worked with Herzog de Meuron on the concept design for a hotel in Washington, D.C. We envisioned the large, third-floor lobby space like an early American village where the inhabitants walk from restaurant to bar, to meeting halls through the central atrium court. As in most colonial towns, the tavern restaurants are clad in wood, and the town hall is clad in stone, a return to the honesty of regional materials. An oversized fireplace, natural walnut walls and leather finished white marble tables set the stage for dining early American style with hearty but natural dishes. The walnut, bronze, limestone and Calacatta marble forms sit inside the minimal metal and glass perimeter like sets waiting to be discovered. In this project, there are almost endless discoveries through the details of bronze, leather and wood, that continue to surprise and delight beyond the initial look.

Middle: Detail of one of the seating nooks and tapestry hanging over the fireplace in the bar, Estuary Bar & Lounge.

Left: Detail of the “arsenal” and the valuables which it holds within its vault.

Far Left & Left: Detail of the transition from the atrium to the bar revealing the playful interaction of floor and ceiling elements with a view inside the “arsenal”. Cylindrical in shape and very focal from the atrium, the bar is reminiscent of Colonial American
arsenals where the town’s precious goods and ammunition were stored; however, this arsenal holds the precious wines, liquors and cigars.

Above: Detail from inside the stairwell in the prefunction area.

Middle: Detail from inside the stairwell (looking up) in the pre-function area and the architectural elevation of the staircase as it meets the prefunction area.

Right: Upon entering the pre-function space on the second level, guest step off the elevators and enter an inviting lounge seating area. Above, an impressive light fixture made up of individually hand-blown glass pieces of varying sizes are hung into a circular cascading form, creating a dynamic play of light and reflection The ballroom ceiling is filled with grandiose custom chandeliers featuring a myriad of glass cylinders in varying sizes and colors to give the space energy and charisma.

Middle: The conceptual study of light further illuminates the hotel’s corridors, with lights in the corners running up, down and across the ceilings, and natural light emanating from the atrium skylights. Highlighting use of warm, rich, traditional materials.

Top Right: Detail from the top floor of the atrium from the guestroom corridor.
Bottom Right: Detail of the guestroom entrances corridor.
Left: Standard Guestroom with floor-to-ceiling windows.


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