A secret roof-top hotel room encircled by curtains embroidered with stories of the people of London.

Location: The rooftop of Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank, London
Status: Concept design
Client: Living Architecture and Artangel
Contract Value:£130,000

We took our inspiration from the idea of relationships and the overlapping layers of the histories of London.

The tangled web of relationships that we weave and how they intertwine through people’s lives. Playing with the idea of the hotel room and strangers occupying the same space, sleeping in the same bed, albeit it at different times, but using the same space over and over again.

This notion of layering of different identities, personalities, experiences and stories evoked childhood memories of running around in the garden when the washing had been hung out to dry. Layers of crisp white sheets hanging from the line, smelling of fabric conditioner, suddenly creating a secret labyrinth in your own back garden. A stage set ready for adventure.

This theatrical nature of the curtain resonated with the idea of performance and
the auditoria of the Queen Elizabeth Hall, as well as the magic of revealing what lies behind the curtain on opening night.

We propose to encircle the space on the roof with a series of concentric curtains, which in turn create separate spaces within. As you approach from the lower terraces you will see what appears to be a narrow opening to a seemingly screened off area. This is the entrance to a ramp which winds its way up through the curtains and you notice, as you slowly ascend, that this is in fact a much larger space than you fi rst thought. Towards the end of the ramp and close to the front edge of the roof, there is a raised platform where you find the hotel room itself.

We orientated the interior spaces of the room to maximise the stunning views, creating two main arms of the building. Imagine falling asleep in a bedroom that looks over the river, the Millennium Wheel, and Big Ben. Imagine taking a shower over the water with a picture window looking over to the Embankment and Somerset House.

We also created a long terrace that stretches out from the lounge area and projects just over the edge of the roof below.

You can step out here, see and be seen and then scurry off back behind the curtain like a compere at your own show. There are other spaces to discover here, too: a dining terrace nestled within a little clearing of trees; a viewing deck close to the edge of the roof to spy on the activity on Waterloo Bridge; and a secret hideaway somewhere close to the middle – a place to sit and wonder without distraction, a place to think, to write, to read.

By raising the curtains up above the elevation of the building we have consciously sought to create a separation between the strong architectural elements of the Southbank and a light ethereal addition to the skyline.

A single line of fabric that seems to fl oat above the Queen Elizabeth Hall.

The fabric itself is translucent so that as a passerby you will perceive that there are spaces behind and as a guest you can still see out even when the curtains are drawn. The curtains will be embroidered with text – stories of the people’s lives and experiences in London but we also want this idea to be developed during the life of the project, to include stories from the people who actually stay in the hotel room, integrating the character of the guests into the art and architecture.

By day the fabric will appear as ghostly layers of see-through fabric, the text of the embroidery casting shadows onto the layers behind. By night the whole thing will glow with activity as the guests move around and use the space, turning lights on and off, the embroidered text now silhouetted against the light.

When the wind blows, the curtains will ripple and move, sometimes perhaps even lifting up to reveal for an instance, the secrets that lie behind. As the seasons change the building will change in response to the qualities of the light, the strength of the wind, the darkness of night.

Of course, as the guest you can decide how visible you want to be. You can if you want, completely open up the curtains, exposing the room to London or instead hideaway in secret, gleefully aware that you are in the heart of the city but cannot be seen.