boulevard to the east , which links the City and the Zeitz MOCAA building as the focal point , located to the North . All the public areas of the Hotel and the main entrance area have glazed façades which provide a positive interface , not only with the pedestrian boulevard , but also the adjacent No 5 Silo . This was an important design consideration in response to the public realm and the pedestrian environment .
In order to maximise the feeling of space , the ground floor public areas have generous floor to ceiling double volume spaces which are characterised by faced concrete V-Columns which are high quality fair faced concrete . The idea was to expose the concrete structure as much as possible , including the introduction of diamond polished concrete floors , to optimise the industrial character of the building but also to showcase the overall robustness and quality finish of the material . The strict accuracy requirements of these floors were challenging and the design team worked with the contractor to implement additional quality control measures .
Giant industrial wind-up pivot windows designed by Arup have been installed in the restaurant and strengthen the industrial aesthetic with their ‘ crittal ’ style panes and expressed machinery . Functionally , they allow the restaurant space to open out towards Silo Square while still providing protection during inclement weather .
The roof area on the seventh floor enjoys sweeping panoramic views . The public areas and pool are orientated towards the north-west , to maximise climatic comfort and sun-movement throughout the day , but also shield the spaces from the harsh south-easter . The rooftop also includes a restaurant and gym .
Structural Design The challenge for the design was that it was built on top of an existing basement , with a grid suitable for parking layouts but not suitable for a hotel building . In short , the structural grids were clashing . The architects , in coordination with Engineers Arup , designed around this with V-columns that redistribute the grid so that columns could fall in the walls of the hotel rooms from the second floor up . This also eliminated the need for transfer beams gaining a building height of approximately 1,000mm , which meant the design could include an additional back-of-house level within the 32m above sea level height restriction . The V-Column layout which is visible throughout the ground floor , also supports the corridor which runs the entire length of the hotel from north to south . Post-tensioned floor slabs have been used , resulting in thinner slabs which have contributed to higher floor to ceiling heights .
No 6 Silo 33