Motel One Minories London Hotel, Endurance Land Building, SWIP, Architecture

Motel One Minories London

City of London Building design by Mackay + Partners Architects, England, UK

18 Mar 2015

Design: Mackay + Partners, Architects

Address: 24 – 26 Minories, City of London, EC3N 1BQ, UK

New Motel One Building on the Minories

The first commercial building in the UK featuring DuPont® Corian® as an exterior cladding solution

The new Motel One building by Mackay + Partners in the historic Minories neighbourhood of the City of London features an illuminated façade made from DuPont™ Corian® high-tech surface:

photography courtesy of Mackay + Partners, all rights reserved

Motel One Minories London Hotel

DuPont™ Corian® lights up the architectural face of the City of London, with cladding for the new Motel One building by Mackay + Partners

Taking the place of a run-down office building in the heart of the City of London, the striking new “Motel One” building by Mackay + Partners features ground-breaking use of DuPont™ Corian® high-tech surface as an illuminated façade. The first commercial building in the UK to adopt this exciting application for the renowned DuPont advanced surface, the structure presents a sparkling new face to the heart of the financial district, set within the historic Minories neighbourhood.

Offering a welcome new four star facility to the area, the latest Motel One operation hosts 291 bedrooms and is now open for business. The building comprises two forms: a seven storey “decorative cube” fronting the street and a sixteen storey glass tower to the rear. Designed by Mackay + Partners for developers Endurance Land & Scottish Widows Investment Partnership, it brings a bright and a fresh new identity and a directional aesthetic vision to the area. The concept enjoyed full support from the City of London planning department who were happy to explore the choice of DuPont™ Corian® as the exterior cladding material, as opposed to the more typical specifications of steel, glass or stone.

“The design is entirely contemporary, yet fully responsive to its current and known future context,” says Ken Mackay of Mackay + Partners, “I have specified DuPont™ Corian® for other applications and so I am well aware of its properties, but the choice of Corian® to clad this project came about through extensive research and working very closely with DuPont.”

The new Motel One building by Mackay + Partners in the City of London features a sleek, thermally-efficient façade made from DuPont™ Corian® high-tech surface:

photography courtesy of Mackay + Partners, all rights reserved

This elegant exterior skin for the new building functions both as a sustainable open-jointed rain screen façade and also as a distinctive design feature. The eye-catching cladding, made from DuPont™ Corian® in a translucent white, presents a pure and simple finish during daylight hours, but at night, backlit designs within certain panels illuminate the structure to dramatic effect. The LED lighting system is on a colour wheel that can be changed via computer controlled dimming and the patterns and hues chosen reflect the Motel One brand. This combination of rain screen cladding with LED lighting is a first for London, according to the architects.

The new Motel One building by Mackay + Partners in Minories, London features an illuminated façade made from DuPont™ Corian® high-tech surface. The colour changing LED system is computer controlled and the patterns and hues reflect the Motel One brand:

photography courtesy of Mackay + Partners, all rights reserved

The exterior cladding was created using approximately 1000 square metres of DuPont™ Corian® high-tech surface in a 12mm thickness and by exploiting the brand’s unique 1500mm width sheet to reduce the necessity for additional joints. The facade system was installed by specialists Silverside Trading of Shoreham-by-Sea in Sussex.

Mackay + Partners ensured a high standard of sustainability in all aspects of the development, which has achieved a BREEAM excellent energy rating. Key to this was the design of a façade with excellent thermal performance (and just 35% glazing) plus the specification of heat recovery systems and green roofs to further enhance efficiency and mitigate rainwater run-off.

Gwyn Richards of the City of London comments: “The building’s vibrant and playful facades demonstrate that new hotel buildings need not have bland, monotonous and repetitive facades. The ground-breaking use of DuPont™ Corian® as a facing material is innovative and convincing, both during the day and also when illuminated at night. The building demonstrates the importance of an ingenious architectural approach being carried through to implementation, in terms of the integrity of the original architectural concept, but also the highest quality of detailing and materials.

The building sits comfortably within its surroundings whilst creating a highly compelling work of contemporary architecture which can be proud of its place in the City’s dynamic architectural character.”

Mark Hill, Country Manager of DuPont™ Corian® for UK and Ireland, says: “The possibilities for the application of DuPont™ Corian® to facades are fascinating and full of possibility. We are totally committed to working with the industry to explore what can be accomplished in design terms, while ensuring beneficial functionality and long lasting performance. The results achieved with the Motel One project by Mackay + Partners are not only a first for the UK but also a beacon for adventurous and inspiring building design.”

DuPont™ Corian® is proving to be a valuable solution for façade applications in many ways, from design versatility to long-term functionality. Completely homogenous and non-porous, it is easy to clean and maintain. It is also fire rated, resistant to graffiti, UV and climatic conditions – and should any damage occur – the material is repairable. DuPont™ Corian® is compatible with a ‘secret’ fix undercut anchor system and its lightweight, workable properties are a further benefit to both fabrication and installation.

DuPont™ Corian® also offers the broadest range of international certification for facade applications among solid surfaces and has passed a series of fundamental tests for its application to the exterior of buildings. These include freeze/thaw cycling resistance, standards proving the material’s resistance to exterior environmental substances, fire performance tests, and tests for abuse resistance. Further information and certificates are available on request from DuPont.

In the UK, DuPont™ Corian® sponsors a RIBA approved CPD seminar on Solid Surfaces for Rainscreen Facades. To book this CPD seminar please call: 0800 962 116 or email: sales@corian.co.uk

About Mackay + Partners (www.mackayandpartners.co.uk) – Mackay & Partners LLP combines a keen commercial awareness with a focus for quality and design integrity. The practice takes pride in expanding client’s expectations, bringing a fresh perspective to each project, and pushing the boundaries of architectural and interior design in search of the best solutions.

About DuPont™ Corian® (www.corian.uk) – First created as a high performance material for kitchen and bathroom worktops, DuPont™ Corian® is now – thanks to its unique combination of functionality, versatility and beauty – a leading global brand in surfacing materials for interior design and architecture. Over the years, DuPont has established DuPont™ Corian® solid surface as an exceptional design tool for every application one can imagine. Kitchen, bathroom, lighting, furnishing, facades, radiators, home automation, touch control surfaces: today, DuPont™ Corian® can be found almost everywhere in Commercial, Residential and Public Space applications.

To know more, and stay in touch with DuPont™ Corian®
www.corian.co.uk / www.endlessevolution.corian.com / Facebook.com/CorianDesign
Twitter.com/CorianDesign / Youtube.com/CorianDesign / Pinterest.com/CorianDesign

The new Motel One building in Minories, London features an illuminated façade:

photography courtesy of Mackay + Partners, all rights reserved

DuPont – DuPont has been bringing world-class science and engineering to the global marketplace in the form of innovative products, materials, and services since 1802. The company believes that by collaborating with customers, governments, NGOs, and thought leaders we can help find solutions to such global challenges as providing enough healthy food for people everywhere, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting life and the environment. For additional information about DuPont and its commitment to inclusive innovation, please visit www.dupont.com.

Minories London images / information received 180315

Hotel Motel One London Tower Hill – new photos 10 Oct 2016

Location: 24 – 26 Minories, City of London, EC3N 1BQ, England, UK

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image courtesy of architecture office
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