The Calile Hotel is an urban resort that strikes a balance between quiet, humor and a charming savagery aesthetic. The 175-room hotel is the most significant architectural work Richards and Spence have completed in the James Neighborhood. James Block is an open-air street development 2.5 kilometres from Brisbane's CENTRAL Business District.
Referring to the existing scale, the double-height brick arches play a civic role on the ground, providing shelter for shoppers and framing the identity of retail. Like its neighbors, the Calile hotel is dominated by white brick, stone and concrete, and the journey from the lobby to the pool house is a continuous outdoor experience.
Designed to take advantage of Queensland's weather, a pool terrace brings guests into vacation mode. Hidden away from the street, the pool terrace is an alternative experience made up of fluttering palm trees and striped canvas umbrellas, flanked by a spacious pool.
Designed as elevated streets, the hotel corridors continue the outdoor experience with custom breeze block screens and natural ventilation with ceiling fans. A large number of plants extend throughout the project, becoming a green covering connecting the street and the rooms.
The balcony of the hotel room takes into account the pool below and allows for natural wind. A subtle transition from travertine, cork is introduced into the interior to act as a sound-absorbing surface. Clad in stone and solid wood, the room speaks to the long-term goals of the project, a timeless aesthetic that requires minimal maintenance.
- Interiors: Richards & Spence
- Photos: Sean Fennessy Yaseera Moosa
- Words: Gina
