Hotel Zenit

The hotel is situated in the neighborhood of Avenidas Novas, renowned for its sense of urbanity, characterized by large, tree lined avenues, compact building fronts, with the mix of architectural styles ranging from the end of the XIX century to the XX century.

The object of the intervention consists of the conversion and extension of existing building located on a much closed angle corner plot, built in the beginning of the XX century and influenced by Art Nouveau style, into a four star hotel. In order to achieve the new function, the entire core of the building needed to be demolished, maintaining and renovating the façades, and respecting the original levels of floor slabs, substituted with new ones.

The hotel is composed of nine floors above ground, including the ground level, and five floors underground. The public areas, such as bar, restaurant, lobby, conference room are distributed between the first level of basement, ground floor and first floor. The service areas and the parking occupy the second to the fifth level of basement. The private areas for the exclusive use of the hotel guests, occupies the second to the ninth floor.

Remodeling of listed building called for a particular focus on integrating harmoniously the modifications needed to be performed on the existing façade, namely in the area of the public and garage entrance, in the full recovery of deteriorated elements, and on the choice of the refurbishment materials for the extension on the top floor. The proposed volume assumes a clear difference in relation to the existing façade, in approach to design and tectonic.  It opposes the cold, dark colored metal finish to the existing pastel blue plaster, the clear-cut rectangular glazing to the glamorous shapes of the existing façade. It is thus a passage to the new in a discreet and sober fashion.