BRIEF

Once upon a time, it was the norm to convert industrial spaces into Arts Spaces. The Fruitmarket was just that –a Fruit Market. The glut of such spaces (and the commercial failure of some) in recent years has raised doubts about this policy. In this project you will be asked to convert this art gallery into something else.

This poses particular problems. Art galleries are large, single, generally top-lit spaces. You will be converting the Fruitmarket into an hotel, which is largely composed of small single spaces – bedrooms, bar and toilets. How these are daylit (as they will need to be) will be one of the chief issues you will have to address in this brief.

In addition, Art Galleries are very public, visible spaces. A stay in an hotel is quite a different experience. Areas like the bar are quite public whereas the bedroom areas are extremely private. The design of these is influenced by the price bracket that the hotel places itself – an experience in a 5 star hotel is quite different from that in a 2 star establishment.

You will begin by looking at this project in terms of an individual bedroom. This will focus you on issues such as layout and materials. You will be designing the hotel for a well known brand. How you perceive this brand will influence your design.

Below is a schedule of accommodation which lists all the rooms you will be required to provide within your hotel. Remember, however, that the disposition of these rooms, and the connective tissue between them –circulation and structure- have as much to say about the anxieties listed above as the rooms themselves.