BLACKSBURG HOTELKATE BROWN

THE PROMPTThis challenging prompt of a 20-room hotel in the heart of downtown Blacksburg presents its challenges, perhaps most notably the extremely long and narrow site (120’ x 35’). More intimidating might be the aim of designing a relatively tall building suitable to fit into the fabric of the historic center of town, without being disruptive or out of character. Throughout the project, the focus was to achieve meaningful archi-

tecture at all scales of engagement, from the town to the street to the hotel room.

PRE DESIGN The first formulations of the hotel involved careful consideration of the most comfortable and harmonious arrangement of program requiremments within the building. Massing models were also made to become familiar and sensitive to contexual factors and the

potential impact of the building on the street.

SITE CONSIDERATIONSArriving at a hotel is a journey of discovery in itself. From pulling into the driveway, to stepping into the grandeur of a lobby, to finally opening that door to reveal the room within, every moment should be a delight to the guest. The entrance to a hotel should be celebrated, and the hotel room door should not be opened to reveal a room that is predictable and similar to rooms before experienced. Here, guests proceed through an avenue of trees, to step onto grey pietra marble pavement and roll their luggage smoothly into the shade and shelter of the main

entrance porch.

ENTRANCEThe lobby entrance guides guests who are checking in into the hotel to the reception and elevators. The Main St. entrance peels back from the property line and welcomes pedestrians into the coffee room and bar area, in view of the grand staircase, which is masked

behind the glow of channel glass walls.

ORGANIZATIONThe hotel utilizes a double loaded corridor, allowing for an unconventional yet refreshing and spacious room layout. Nine king rooms and nine double rooms are located on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors, and two suites are situated on the fifth floor, within close proximity to

the roof terrace, a popular lounge area in the summer.

THE FORMThe building is an arrangement of three volumes: one central mass that holds the majority of the hotel, and two towers that provide the vertical circulation for the building. The entire building has a steel frame structure, but the two types of form express the structure differently, divided by CMU load bearing walls. The towers, clad in channel glass, reveal the structure, but the central volume is clad with brick and the structure lies within the walls and floors of the building, leaving it unseen.

BRICK ON METAL STUD WALLThe facade reads as rigid and flush. On the South-east facade deep sill windows provide some relief from the direct sunlight into those rooms. In the south-east facing double rooms, beds are also further away from the window and therefore protected from the direct light. On the shaded north-west side, the king rooms are closer to the windows and have shallower sills. Where the brick wall meets the sky, it either matures as a parapet or extends into a slender glass and steel railing on the roof terrace, a perfect place to enjoy the fresh air and views from sunrise to sunset.

CHANNEL GLASS WALLThe channel glass walls tie back to the steel structure and are separated from the stairwell with a single layer of glass. The glass towers resist heat loss with transparent insulation within the channels. The 13” panels are separated by a thin silicone sealant that provides the mullions of the walls and adds to the overall vertical expression.

EXTERIOR EXPRESSION After several iterations the exterior facades of the building became more refined and reflected the clear interior division of the three volumes. During the day, the translucent channel glass gives some hint of the guests’ move-ment up and down the stairs, and at night, the channel glass glows warmly as an attractive beacon on the main throroughfare of Downtown. The roman brick walls of the main volume pinch inwards at points of entrance, and reflect interior floor levels with a change in brick patterns. The rough and colorful texture of reused bricks on the

facade contrasts strongly to the frosted, subdued channel glass surface of the towers.

VERTICAL CIRCULATIONTwo stairways punctuate the corners of the building. The Main St. stair is a grand stair with a slow ascent and gentle riser of 6”, landing directly into the hotel lounge. The other is a switchback stair, next to the elevator, providing efficient circulation to the building.

THE ROOM When the guest arrives at their room they are met with a recessed, wide, low-er-than-usual wooden door, that swings open heavily into a deep door frame, providing almost a vestibule for the hotel room within the door frame itself. Even just during the journey between the hotel entrance and the hotel room, guests step through opposite spatial experiences of the channel glass towers and brick building, guided by inflections and recesses, finally embraced by the warmth of a sunlit room.

BLACKSBURG HOTELKATE BROWN