Starck-Designed Interior for Sao Paulo’s Plant-Covered Hotel by Jean Nouvel Revealed in Renderings
New renderings for a luxury hotel designed by Atelier Jean Nouvel and adjoining a former maternity hospital in Sao Paulo has been released. Developers Groupe Allard has collaborated with the French architecture firm to create Matarazzo Park by renovating 550,000 square meters of historic buildings which include the Filomena Matarazzo maternity hospital. The released renderings also feature the interior design by Philippe Starck.
Nouvel’s new hotel design features a 90-meter tall tower with a latticed Corte-steel façade and staggered terraces, carrying native plants and trees. The “Rosewood Tower” is connected to the adjacent historic building by a planted path. “[Matarazzo Park] is a space of calm urbanization – a space of incredible fig and magnolia trees,” said Nouvel. “The hospital in the middle of the grounds is a sort of mini-town, very well organized around patios, and surrounding this little gem is a chaotic metropolis.”
The hotel will comprise 275 guest rooms, 122 apartments, 2 restaurants, a bar and a caviar lounge, 3 swimming pools, and a spa. The former hospital building will house 51 of these guest rooms, in addition to restaurants. As the building dates back to 1943, French designer Philippe Stark was tasked with renovating its interior and giving it the “boldness and modernity” of the 21st century. In order to achieve that, Starck uses local marble quarried from the states of Paraná and Bahia. The renderings feature a twisting staircase with marble steps, matching the walls and floor, but with sweeping dark handrails from Corten steel. The designer furthers his local references in the interior by introducing native trees and plants which are abundant in Brazilian Atlantic Forest. The renderings, also, reveal an earth-tone color palette which can be seen in the suede upholstered chairs, the dark wooden dining table, and the rug below. “In truth, the inspiration behind the design and architecture is both local and international; it is diverse and originates from places like Africa, America, Italy,” said Starck. The finishing of the suites is all by Atelier de France.
The historic building of the Matarazzo hospital was first under the locals’ care, then it was handled by the City Hall and the Office of Works, and finally, it was included in heritage protection in 1986. The new hotel project shall give the old building a new life and purpose. “Jean Nouvel brings a fresh, contemporary foreign gaze that will reveal and underscore the unique beauty of this poetic isle that has lain abandoned for over 30 years,” said Allard. “Jean and I want the Matarazzo complex to be preserved and rejuvenated … it will be an original urban landmark, opening a new chapter in the history of transformations the Paulista Avenue region.” The hotel is scheduled to be open by the end of 2018.