Nobu’s first hotel in the UK makes a confident statement of intent for the international restaurant brand with a design that combines the creative energy of its Shoreditch location with Nobu’s values of simple luxury.

Occupying a tight urban plot, the hotel follows the street line and accents its strong linear form with horizontal steel and concrete fins at each floor level which create additional privacy for hotel rooms at the quieter end of the street. A distinctive façade fragments at the eastern end and descends into a new sunken pocket park that combines open public space with informal dining terraces opening out from the restaurant located two stories below ground.

Concrete, with its aesthetic and structural versatility, became the key material in the project, with five distinct types used to realise this striking design and inviting interior. Post tensioned and exposed concrete slabs allowed the primary structure to be slender enough to add another storey to the building volume which would be permitted by planning and rights to light constraints. Glass reinforced panels were ‘glazed’ into the window system to allow for the rapid and efficient erection of the exterior shell of the building.

Overlaying its raw concrete frame, accents of bronze and timber, creative textiles and warm fabrics combine to create an earthy, elegant aesthetic that delivers a variety of moods in its public spaces. Subtle material cues demarcate the public and private layers of the hotel and create a seamless link between the double height bar and restaurant in the hotel basement and adjoining garden.

Sitting happily among Shoreditch’s re-purposed warehouses and factories, Nobu Hotel is a bold architectural statement whose marriage of complexity and urban generosity delivers a global destination in the heart of London’s most vibrant neighbourhood.

Awards

FX Awards 2019 ‘Best Hotel’ win

Surface Design Awards 2019 ‘Best Commercial Exterior’ win

Architect Design of the Year 2019 ‘Best Hotel & Resorts’ win

Frame Magazine Awards 2019 ‘Hotel of the Year’ shortlist

NLA Awards 2018 ‘Best Hotel & Hospitality’ win

AJ Architecture Awards 2018 ‘Leisure Project of the Year’ shortlist

RIBA Awards 2018 shortlist

Hackney Design Awards 2018 shortlist

Ahead Americas Asia Europe MEA Awards 2018 shortlist

UK Property Awards 2017 ‘Best Hotel Architecture’ win