Town Hall Hotel

Sue Barr

• Architects

Approached by Loh Lik Peng, founder of Unlisted Collection, the brief was to reconstruct a neglected Grade II Edwardian Town Hall building in London’s Bethnal Green into a stylish 5-star hotel, with serviced apartments, conference facilities, a bar and a restaurant. The concept is rooted within the development itself, blending the use of traditional techniques and motifs with cutting edge design and manufacturing technologies.

We've meticulously restored the building’s original features, grand staircases, moulded ceilings and marble floors, whilst installing an additional 1500m2 of accommodation in a contemporary extension to the roof and rear of the building. A finely detailed, faceted, laser-cut aluminium screen (inspired by the beautiful Art Deco details of the building) wraps the new extension providing additional privacy for rooms, with dappled light and a strikingly modern, sculptural element visible from the street. The skin maintains guests’ privacy within the urban environment, while the 98 unique room layouts are filled with natural light and bespoke furniture.

Working within the constraints of the building and the tight parameters of its listed status, we undertook a strategic re-planning of the internal space to create 98 rooms each with a unique layout and design and carefully planned to maximise natural daylight. Interiors have been designed with integrated ’spatial furniture’, bespoke pods of discrete beds, desks, storage, kitchens and bathrooms. Additional amenities include a new 14 metre pool in the basement, conference facilities and function room, a signature bar and restaurant that can be accessed from a separate street entrance for both guests and visitors.

Glamorous, elegant and functional, the design blends the use of traditional techniques and motifs with cutting edge design and manufacturing technologies.

Dublin born and Singapore based hotelier and restaurateur, Loh Lik Peng, is the founder and CEO of Unlisted Collection headquartered in Singapore - the umbrella brand which comprises of unique, high quality boutique hotel properties and restaurants. Unlisted Collection binds design-driven venues in cosmopolitan cities of Singapore, Shanghai, Dublin, London and Sydney. The hotels and restaurants are often set within sensitively restored heritage listed buildings which are then adapted into radical, cutting edge lifestyle concepts that culminate into unforgettable experiences for guests.

The project involved a neglected yet grand early 20th century building that has fallen into disrepair and along with transforming and refurbishing, we were tasked to create a new roof extension to provide an additional 1,500m² of accommodation, while restoring the Edwardian and Art Deco elements in the original building.

A laser cut powder coated aluminium skin is used to wrap around the new extension – a design element inspired by features of the original interior – to create a striking yet contemporary statement that brings the historic building into the modern era. Wherever possible original materials, including marble, glass, oak and stone have been re-used for their timeless and elegant qualities. Light fixtures were specially commissioned from Italian supplier Viabizzuno, to sit comfortably within the historical context.