Ica Studio have been shortlisted for Hotel Over 200 Rooms – Global Award in The International Hotel and Property Awards 2023.

The Gantry at Stratford’s Olympic Park is proof that an exceptional concept can also be straightforward to build — and profitable to operate. The perfect fit for the Curio brand that pushed Ica Studio into finding new ways of appealing to the curious traveller.

The design journey started with an exploration of Stratford’s changing role as a market town, a centre of the UK’s locomotive industry, and latterly as the site of the 2012 Olympics. It was in this industrial evolution that Ica Studio found the heart of the hotel’s personality. The concept is a playful contrast of the industrial with the luxurious. Nowhere is this better seen than in the bold sweeping, sinuous exterior made from two-storey vertical fins. But this curvilinear exterior skin hides a practical secret – inside it is a straightforward, easy-to-cost and simple-to-build glass box. This simplicity coupled with an incredibly efficient floorplate creates guestrooms that have an abundance of light and space and allowed the design team to capitalise on panoramic views of London. All of this is achieved whilst bringing a sense of warmth and intimacy and a genuine sense of escape. The result is a fitting flourish, a hotel that is a worthy companion to Olympic Park’s many exceptional buildings.

Apart from the unforgettable aesthetic impact — the outer skin makes the hotel into a living, changing object. The path of the sun through the day creates a constantly shifting dynamic of light and shadow and at night the light shining out from the bedrooms and the public areas creates intriguing patterns against the warm-toned, copper-coloured fins.

While there’s an evident visual link to Stratford’s railway works in The Gantry’s finned exterior, the echoes of an industrial past don’t stop there — it also feeds back into the hotel’s bold interior design. Capitalising on light and space and carefully framing panoramic views of Stratford, the guestrooms bring a sense of warmth and intimacy and a genuine feeling of escape.

Interior Designer: Ica Studio/The One Off

Architect: Ica Studio

Hotel Group/Developer: Gantry Dev Co.

Construction: Ardmore

Structural Engineer: Meinhardt

Services Engineer: Qoda Consulting

Ica Studio

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