Hotel Puerta América - 2nd floor

Idea
Norman Foster is a representative of elegant high-tech design. For this project, he focused on simple forms and luxurious materials. However, his main goal was to create intimate rooms isolated from the hustle and bustle of the big city. He was inspired by his Basque friend - sculptor Eduardo Chillida, whose organic shapes and work with natural materials helped Foster in shaping the second floor of the Puerta América hotel. Here, he managed to unify cool sandblasted glass with warm leather wall coverings, from which one can deduce the desire to create a place for relaxation.

Lobby and Corridor
In the lobby on the second floor, guests are welcomed by Chillida's sculpture. The walls are covered in white leather. The space aims to convey a sense of trust and intimacy to guests. From here, the corridor continues with semi-circular glass protrusions that glow in the dimly lit corridor like giant beacons and simultaneously incredibly enhance the narrow space. These rounded glass walls also form part of the hygienic infrastructure of the rooms. They create the wall of the shower cubicle, which has a taut canvas with top lighting on the ceiling. The curves of the bathroom seem to wrap around and protect the guest.

Rooms
Foster avoids excessive starkness of lines and predictability. With the rooms of the Puerta América Hotel, he took a similar direction as with the Millennium Bridge in London, where he collaborated with sculptor Anthony Caro, and in many of his other projects. The perception of space clad in white leather brings absolutely different feelings than that of white plaster. At the same time, the choice of leather and glass—two acoustically completely different materials—is interesting. The area behind the bed is covered with brown chestnut wood. On the opposite wall, a plasma television is hidden behind a folding panel of white leather. The warmth and intimacy of the rooms are also enhanced by the oak floor. The comfortable and relatively high bed invites rest.
Another strong element in the room is the long onyx shelf with internal lighting, which serves as a sink in the bathroom and continues across the entire length of the room to the window, where it functions as a writing desk. The main light elements of the room are so artfully concealed within the room's furnishings (shower cubicle, mirrors, shelves), creating a moment of surprise while also enhancing the spatial qualities.

The 28 rooms designed by Norman Foster on the second floor of the Puerta América hotel are equipped with air conditioning, a safe, wireless internet access, and a minibar. Prices for double rooms start at the threshold of 161 Euros per night.