International architecture and design firm Jestico + Whiles (J+W) has been appointed by TIAA Henderson Real Estate (TH Real Estate) to design a luxury hotel in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The Edinburgh St. James Hotel will act as the centrepiece of the overarching St. James development. With a price tag of £850m (€1.1m, $1.3m), the project is retail-led with the aim of transforming leisure in the Scottish capital. Once complete it will offer 750,000sq ft (69,677sq m) of retail space, the hotel and 30+ dining destinations.
The J+W design for the 210 room hotel is focused around the concept of coiled ribbons, to allow a free-form structure, boasting flexibility and a striking frontage. Slotting into the overall masterplan, the hotel will offer a restaurant space and a loft bar offering panoramic views of the city.
Heinz Richardson, director of J+W commented: “The contemporary design will be sympathetic to the surrounding World Heritage site and its history, providing a first class destination for Edinburgh at the heart of the city’s new retail quarter.”
The hotel, although designed, will be left malleable for the final chosen operator, giving an individual brand a chance to put its stamp on it at a later date. Jones Lang LaSalle is currently marketing the investment opportunity.
Work is starting later in 2015, and the overall development is expected to be complete by 2020.
