Design Initiatives have designed a sanctuary, an isolated island for two people for contemplation / withdrawal from London that seems to float in space between ground and sky. The focal point of their proposal is an all-in-one integral hybrid furniture piece that encourages dining and working while lying in bed.

A Room for London is a competition for temporary demountable hotel room for up to two guests on top of the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London during the Olympic year of 2012.

It is a boundary structure floating in space between ground and sky. Our proposal employs the dialectical contrast of active OR passive. Escape from noisy / busy / dynamic / active city TO noiseless / quiet / still / calm / peaceful / passive retreat – an isolated ‘island’ to relax / sleep among city of insomnia. Our ROOM connects to 21st century urban life through contemplation / withdrawal. We suggest the replacement of ‘live’ by ‘overlook / contemplate’. A Room for London plays an ambiguous role: it is a focal point / flagship / visible object to look at AND in the same time its guests can view / overlook / contemplate the British capital.

Hotel room is occupied mostly at night and is critical how it functions at night. It hosts different experiences, responds to changing moods and has to be many-sided. The short stay in a hotel room gives it a sense of motion.

We propose a natural / biomorphic / sheltering ‘eggshell’ to land on top of unnatural / angular / brutalist / dark concrete / existing concert hall. Our ROOM is designed in 2 modules to ease transportation and installation process. Each module is 4m wide to fit on flat-bed truck. The structure will sit on top of existing building which drives the use of lightweight but durable material like FRP [Fiber Reinforced Polymer]. Mechanical equipment goes in attic space on top of the bathroom.

Our project provides gradation from indoor room through transitional space [between in and out, suitable for London climate] of covered patio / terrace to open air rooftop. We apply the same concept of gradation from enclosed to open also in the bathroom. We induce the development of certain habits like dining or working on computer while lying in bed by combining bed / sofa / desk / coffee table / bedside table / shelf into all-in-one integral hybrid furniture piece. The guests of the ROOM can manipulate the light by playing with the secondary skin / light filter.

ARCHITECT: Design Initiatives, Culver City, California, USA. CLIENT: Living Architecture, Artangel, Southbank Centre. LOCATION: roof of Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, London UK. DESCRIPTION: Hospitality. STATUS: Competition Entry. AREA: 45 sqm. PROJECT TEAM: Vlado Valkof – architect; Anne Valkof, Ulysses Carmona – designers; Ivan Dimov, Oleg Topalov – rendering. DATE: 2010. No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.