Minories’ hotel opens as Motel One
The Minories latest addition, Motel One London Tower-Hill, has opened following a £18m demolition and rebuild.
The 17-storey, 291-key hotel is located on Minories Road, and is the result of the demolition of an existing six storey office and retail space. The architect for the project, Mackay & Partners, worked to a high specification to ensure that the building made a dramatic, yet inviting impact on its environment, making use of numerous sustainable features.
The development utilises a number of intelligent building systems, such as highly thermal efficient facades with just 35% glazing, heat recovery systems and green roofs to help thermal efficiency and mitigate rainwater run off. The hotel was constructed using an in-situ reinforced raft slab substructure on piled foundations.
Its exterior is made up of a front Corian cube tower that is seven storeys in height, and a 16-storey glass tower component to the rear. A stepped element is incorporated into the glass tower with an indent on the 12th floor level from the north to stay in line with the concept of steps and blocks from surrounding buildings.
The ground floor Minories street front comprises 3.5mm floor to ceiling glass, while the front cube is comprised of Corian solid surface with inset double glazing windows. Integral vertical lighting is also used to provide interest and decoration both internally and externally. The east facing elevation of the higher tower features a six-storey living wall, while the façade of the entire building is designed to achieve low noise levels from inside.
