McAleer & Rushe completes work on W Leicester Square

W London is situated on the corner of Leicester Square and Wardour Street, nestled between cultural Soho and the world-famous square, on the site of what used to be the Swiss Centre. The hotel will provide an integrated contemporary lifestyle experience with 192 guest rooms, including 17 suites, 3 WOW suites and 1 Extreme WOW suite.
 
McAleer & Rushe’s managing director Eamon Laverty said: “This has very much been a flagship project for the company. We have built a hotel that is instilled with the highest levels of design and exclusivity that one would expect of such a glamorous brand as W. The opening of this hotel marks a major step forward within the wider regeneration of Leicester Square and was only made possible through close collaboration between the project team at W Hotels, Westminster City Council and McAleer & Rushe’s design team led by our architects Jestico + Whiles.”
 
In addition to the hotel, McAleer & Rushe’s new ten-storey building, with an estimated end value of £200m, houses 11 two and three bedroom penthouse W Residencies and a 35,000 sq ft M&M’s World store which will be a European first boasting interactive attractions, merchandise and of course the much loved confectionary.

W London is veiled in translucent glass suspended off the face of the building like a floating sheer curtain, evoking the cinematic heritage of this part of the West End. This veil functions like a huge pixel screen, the first of its kind in the UK. It allows the presence of the building to alter as day turns to night.
 
Jestico + Whiles’ designs allow the building to become an electronic mixing palette, or canvas, upon which guest artists can ‘paint’ their visions.

Interiors are by Concrete Architects.

The opening commission has been designed by ground-breaking London-based art installation company, Jason Bruges Studio, who have designed a conceptual interpretation of the changing light dynamics of the Leicester Square skyline over the preceding 24 hours. The installation will work by translating video footage captured by roof top cameras, creating night time performances on the building’s facade.

McAleer & Rushe and Jestico + Whiles are also currently working on the 252-bedroom Aloft London ExCeL hotel at the ExCeL exhibition centre in London’s docklands. The hotel, which is owned by Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC), will be the second Aloft branded hotel in Europe following the opening of Aloft Brussels Schuman in 2010. Aloft London ExCeL will open in October 2011, ahead of the London Olympics in 2012.

W Leicester Square is one of six W hotels opening in 2011. THe others are as follows:

W Taipei (February 2011) – GA Design International has created a nature electrified design concept that fuses the rural surroundings of Taipei with the vibrant, high voltage core of the city.  W Hotels Designer of the Future winner Zigelbaum + Coelho has also been commissioned to create an interactive chandelier for the hotel.

 W St. Petersburg (March 2011) With architecture by Grigoriev + Partners and interior design by Milan-based Antonio Citterio and Partners, W St. Petersburg will be located in a historic building near the lavish Winter Palace, a new place to experience the white of night.  Inspired by the jewel-tones and layers of a Fabergé Egg, the hidden gem design of the hotel will reveal surprises throughout the guest experience.

 W Retreat & Spa Bali - Seminyak  (March 2011) For its latest Retreat experience, W Hotels has partnered with SCDA Design International and AB Concepts Hong Kong. An island marked by worship and celebration, the design of W Bali was inspired by the more than 20,000 temples that populate the Island each with private inner courtyards and public outer courtyards

W Paris - Opéra (December 2011)  Located steps from the world-famous Opéra Garnier, W Paris Opéra has been designed by Rockwell Group Europe (RGe) and inspired by both the energy of New York City – W's birthplace – and Paris as the City of Light. W Paris will melt the somber traditions of the 1870s Haussman-era building in which it will be housed with a spark of modern radiance.

 W Guangzhou (December 2011) With architecture by Hong Kong-based Rocco Design and interiors by Yabu Pushelberg, the design of W Guangzhou, located in the city's buzzing Zhujiang district, has been inspired by the region's ancient Kesi Tapestries.  Throughout the hotel, guests will find themes around unraveling, mesh work and emerging patterns.

www.mcaleer-rushe.co.uk

www.whotels.com

www.jesticowhiles.com

www.concreteamsterdam.nl