Vienna
Year: 2013
Status: Concept study
Client: Wertinvest
The real estate developer Wertinvest invited destilat to create an interior concept for the Hotel InterContinental - the focus was to be on Austrian post-war design in an international context. destilat turned the legendary hotel into an architectural stage - featuring Austrian and international design icons that invite guests to actively discover, occupy and grasp the era. Modern, changeable and unmistakable, it reawakens the "old splendour" of the hotel in a new form and allows the hotel to once again become the social centre it once was. As the first hotel of an international chain, "the InterContinental" was considered an architectural landmark for the spirit of optimism of the time, bringing international flair to Vienna as the "gateway to the world".
Light is the central medium with which the design plays. Inspired by the huge crystal chandelier in the bar, "the sparkle" is reinterpreted (as backlit mirror, black glass and Corian surfaces as well as banners with lenticular printing) and is found as a continuous design element in different facets. The light and room atmospheres generated in this way represent an absolute novelty in this context - both in terms of design and technology. In terms of content, destilat also ties in with the image of the airline Pan Am - the original owners of the British hotel group - whose CI style was formative for an entire era. Thus, the stewardesses' iconic work bag is translated as wall panelling with a storage function, as a bed head and as lounge furniture.
This simple interior design framework makes room for the masterpieces of Austrian design history by Josef Frank, Walter Pichler, Roland Rainer and Karl Schwanzer. The overriding goal of the concept, which encompasses the entire complex to create a uniform overall image, is to focus on a few very concise design themes in order to counteract the overload of many a design hotel.
Team
Harald Hatschenberger
Thomas Neuber