c o n c e p t
BUILDING W-60 will have an inner intensity and a new physical presence. An effort of the mind and the thinking hand to create a pleasing architecture, and a holiday experience for the (HAPIMAG) traveller. All historical and artistic values are carefully preserved in order to reconstruct the feeling of a luxurious downtown house in the heart of Central Europe.
Space and experience as a composition of form and memory.

a i m
The thoughtful juxtaposition of the old and the new. Modern contemporary interior elements alongside historical ones. Harmony. Sophistication and practicality are to form a bond with beauty as the end result.
The creation of an identity of sensibility.

t h e _ b u i l d i n g
BUILDING W-60 is located at Wenceslas Square 60, Prague, Czech Republic, lot number 2243.
It was built in 1892 by the Czech architect Ferdinand Visek in the Neo-Baroque style. In the late 1920's, the ground floor passage to the courtyard, main entry, and the staircase corridors were reconstructed in the Rondo-Cubist style.

l o c a t i o n
Originally a horse market, Wenceslas Square is 750 meters long and 60 meters wide. Wenceslas Square + BUILDING W-60 have been witness to all key events in recent Czech history. In 1918, the square was the scene of large demonstrations for national independence, and then in August 1968, it was here that Praguers tried to stop Russian tanks from occupying their city. January 1969 saw the student Jan Palach tragically set fire to himself at the foot of the statue of Saint Wenceslas. And, more recently, the November 1989 protest rally in the square against police brutality led to the Velvet Revolution and the overthrow of Communism.

c o s m o p o l i t a n _ m i l i e u
Large magnificent buildings line each side of Wenceslas Square. This world famous boulevard is the top business
address destination for international companies with a pleasant mixture of boutiques, hotels, banks, fashion shops, and significant cultural points of interest (including the National Museum at the top and the Opera House nearby).

1. entry _ 2. bedroom _ 3. dining area _ 4. balcony _ 5. bathtub+sink+toilet _ 6. kitchenette _ 7. / 8. closet _ 9. living area


h o m e _ - or - _ h o t e l ?
The intention is to blur the line between hotel and home. BUILDING W-60 will be your home when you come to visit Prague with an elegant, understated approach. It will be as if you are getting a key to an empty apartment from a good friend.

h a b i t a t i o n
Pleasantness and serenity. A relaxed simplicity. A place to regenerate and rejuvenate the inner self. The light and the space and the air are one. You are welcome.

o p e n _ p l a n
The concept of service spaces (bathroom + kitchenette) which are pushed back to the inner wall and concentrated into a compact functional box – thus allowing more area for the served spaces (bedroom + living room).
The rooms will not feel clogged or tight but open, free, and complete with the right to exist. Further, this idea enhances the given proportions and natural light in the rooms, and also allows the original ceiling moldings to be preserved and felt.

m a t e r i a l s
Warm woods for furniture and tables, a darker wood for the flooring. Soft leather, upholstries, clean cotton sheets.
The poetics of the solid reality of matter.

s l i d i n g _ d i v i d e r _ p a r t i t i o n _ w a l l
A movable partition wall constructed of wood allows for visual privacy and partition sound control by the guest.
This may also be a thick curtain/textile element.

b o h e m i a n _ g l a s s
Ranked perhaps the finest in the world, Bohemian glass will be used creatively and sensitively.
Sand-blasted glass sheets in the bathroom and mirrors in the rooms. The cleanness and purity of glass.

c o l o r s
Natural browns, beiges and creams/whites. The notion of extension and contrast. Clear planes and delineated lines.
Each color will know the others around it (as in a Cezanne painting), yet confidently assert themselves when called upon.

n a t u r a l _ l i g h t
Each room will emphasize the high ceilings, the large windows, and a general sense of light and air.
An integral and necessary part of every room. The morning sun falling across your bed.

b a l a n c e
The interiors of the rooms and the corridors will have a quiet balance, with nothing pushing to the front or standing out.
The preponderance of proportion and harmony.

t h e _ i m p o r t a n c e _ o f _ t h e _ b a t h r o o m
70% of all waking time in a hotel is spent in the bathroom. Therefore, maximum efficiency and comfort is emphasized in this personal space. Fixtures of bathtubs (with vertical shower-heads) or showers depending on the room size.

c o m f o r t
The purpose of design is to make you feel comfortable. A guest expects to feel comfortable and almost pampered.
The morning paper (in your own language) and a glass of fresh orange juice.

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_ t h e _ c a f e _

Located on the ground floor of BUILDING W-60, the interior of the cafe will be lined with comfortable bench/booth-seating along the walls with rounded tables + simple chairs. (The rounded tables are deliberately meant to be a subtle reference to the Rondo-Cubist details in the passage to the courtyard.) The center of the space will have a 'service box' for the wait staff.
The room below ground level will be used for food preparation and public bathrooms.

The atmosphere of the café will be something like an urban respite amidst the bustle of the street and the city
(pleasant New York café and bistros come to mind). A sense of comfortable compactness.
You may sit solitary and undisturbed.