Hôtel Starling EPFL

Drawing inspiration from the site and the adjacent academic campus, the design of the starling hotel consists of three low, mutually parallel buildings that descend lakewards. A linking element lies perpendicular to these. Opening out to the view, it creates two patios that enable circulation between the hotel’s three main elements. The complex is anchored into the terrain on the lower side of the state road minimising obstruction of lake views from the neighboring Rolex Learning Center.

Laterally, the hotel opens up to a vast esplanade that slides under the road creating a strong link with the campus. A fourth building closes off the south western side of the plan. It houses five modular seminar rooms that can transform into one large 400m2 multipurpose hall accommodating up to 200 people. The «fork prong» plan gains interest through a subtly irregular convex geometry that shifts perspective over its length. More than a play on form, the altered alignment offers a tangibly dynamic experience that avoids the stylistic monotony of typical hotel architecture.

The hotel contains three distinct room types : the standard room (24m2 with an east-west orientation), the VIP room (30m2 with lake views to the south) and the long stay room (40 to 60m2). Each offers an original typology. The room is perceived as an open fluid space, articulated by a central furniture unit that serves as bed head, wardrobe, vanity (for the open bathroom) as well as housing an art piece and lighting.