SWISS BEL-HOTEL
Location: Vulture St, South Brisbane, Brisbane
Status: Completed
A new $42 million, 18-storey hotel and apartment project strategically located on the edge of Brisbane’s South Bank precinct, in close proximity to the CBD and the Lady Cilento and Mater Hospitals.
The Swiss-Belhotel comprises 134 hotel rooms on levels 1 through 7. The rooms include a number of super-sized suites with galley kitchenettes and roos offer views of the Brisbane River, city skyline or the Story Bridge and Kangaroo Point cliffs. Befitting a sophisticated 4.5 star hotel there are comprehensive and well-appointed international-standard facilities including a gymnasium, business lounge, indoor heated pool, conference rooms and a café/restaurant.
The design of the building is both inspired by and responsive to its surrounding environment. The faceted form of each floor plate opens the hotel rooms and apartments to several view corridors – towards the bends of the river, the city skyline, the Kangaroo Point cliffs, Southbank parkland and up and down Vulture Street.
As different parts of the building have a unique outlook, the building itself is made up of several distinct elements. The Northern rooms and apartments form a pattern of glass and balconies looking towards the city and river whilst the South-East and South-West corners are expressed as vertical elements framing the corner suites and units. The southern façade acknowledges several surrounding iconic buildings such as the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital and Ronald McDonald House.
The entry to the hotel on the ground floor is imagined as an extension of the public realm. Footpaths on Vulture and Christie Streets flow seamlessly onto entry terraces, welcoming the public through large glazed entry doors into the foyer. A terrace along Vulture Street allows for outdoor dining, and is a modern interpretation of the Queensland verandah. This element engages with the streetscape to contribute to and be a part of the life of Brisbane.
Within the hotel’s entry foyer, material selections of concrete, stone and timber instill a clean, modern warmth. A large artwork behind the hotel’s reception desk is visible from Vulture street, as both a gift and an enticement to passers-by.
Project Team:
Bo Husband, Nathan Roberts, Matt Roberts, Tom Walker, Fatih Tek, Peter Edwards and DeWet Geldenhuys
Client and Builder:
Constructions Group Pty Ltd