Andel’s Hotel - Lodz

Following the success of their previous five Andel’s hotels for Warimpex, Jestico + Whiles has completed the transformation of one of the largest Victorian textile factories in Europe into a contemporary hotel with an abundance of space.

The ‘considered’ site in Lodz goes by the Andel’s recipe of being situated in what some might call a secondary location. Lodz is Poland’s third largest city with its history steeped in the textile industry, hence the hotel’s factory-shaped shell. Opened in 1852 by the industrialist Izrael Poznanaski, the factory fell into decline after World War II until it closed, semi-derelict in 1997. Now, part of it serves as shopping centre Manufaktura, but the pièce de résistance is the latest Andel’s hotel.

Jestico + Whiles Associate Director James Dilley led the design of the project, which was developed in close consultation with the conservation authorities of Lodz. The mission was to find an entirely new way for the building to be perceived and experienced whilst respecting its architecture.

“The existing building was so strong that it would be very tempting just to preserve it as a museum piece,” explains Dilley. “But we wanted to show that an adaption had been made to make it fit perfectly to its function as a modern hotel.”

The look of Andel’s Lodz was achieved by contrasting the preserved industrial fabric of the building with strong, but spare, contemporary interventions. Whilst there are elements of the design that bear resemblance to its predecessors, this hotel certainly has some unique features.

“The aesthetic consideration is very much to do with the spirit of place,” says Dilley. “We didn’t want to develop a generic hotel brand that is the exactly the same shade of navy blue whether you’re in Kuala Lumpur or Denver Colorado. For us that’s not something we like doing,” he continues. “And the fact that Lodz is in an existing building, it meant that we were slightly tied to the layout and had to design everything bespoke.

“In Lodz, the factory space is so long and thin that the existing building informed the  type and size of facilities. On the ground floor we were lucky enough to create spaces that actually don’t have a specific purpose, they’re just lovely lobby spaces to wander through and enjoy the nothingness,” says Dilley. “It is very tempting to fill them up with seating or huge sculptures but the tranquillity of an empty space is very rare in hotels.” As a result, only clusters of Republic of Fritz Hansen’s Swan chairs feature.

The hotel’s 180 guestrooms and 80 long stay apartments are located around the perimeter of the upper levels to take advantage of the high factory windows which let light deep into each floor of the building. This would have left the central bay deprived of natural light if it wasn’t for Dilley’s creation of ‘light cones’ that slice through the full height of the building.

The three stacks of elliptical light wells are aligned obliquely and taper up through five floors to a glazed rooflight. Daylight is channelled to illuminate the heart of the open plan ground floor lobby bar and, by night, the ellipses are coloured by light to create kinetic sculptures, or films are projected onto them to create distorted, abstract cinemas, adding discrete animation to a calm space.

The soft curves of the light cones contrast with the tight, marching grid of cast iron columns, while the solid, brilliant white balustrades contrast with the softness, texture and warmth of the aged, red-brick vaulted ceilings.

Guestrooms retain the red brickwork with the interior design focusing around a largely monochrome palette with citrus highlights. The introduction of floral upholstery is an extension of the design of other Andel’s hotels in the group, however the simplicity of the functional working spaces combined with designer pieces of furniture remains.
Throughout the building original textiles from the factory have been used to contrast with the industrial steel and brick vaults. Many salvaged items have been retained, stripped and spot lit to enhance their importance.

As with other Andel’s hotels, the Lodz property features a rooftop Lounge Room with views of the city, Oscar’s Bar, and The Delight Restaurant serving a variety of dishes from fusion cuisine. Design-wise, Oscar’s continues the industrial theme with a cityscape mural and manufacturing artefacts. In addition a 600 capacity ballroom with ‘orchestra quality’ acoustics is located on the top floor, along with a 1,200m2 spa and wellness centre with gym, massage and beauty services, swimming pool, sun terrace and Wellness Bar.

Andel’s Hotel
Ul. Ogrodowa 17, PL-91-065 Lodz, Poland
Tel: +48 42 279 10 00
Web: www.andelslodz.com

Rooms 278 guestrooms and suites
Dining Delight Restaurant
Drinking Oscar’s Bar
Leisure Gym, spa and rooftop pool
Facilities 1,300m2 of meeting space