W Hotel, Edinburgh by LIGHT ALLIANCE
W Hotel, Edinburgh by LIGHT ALLIANCE
The W Hotel in Edinburgh has won a GOLD Build Back Better Award in the lighting category for lighting design practice LIGHT ALLIANCE.
The W Hotel in Edinburgh has won a GOLD Build Back Better Award in the lighting category for lighting design practice LIGHT ALLIANCE.
Judges said the practice captured the spirit of the world's leading festival city by combining functional light and features in innovative ways.
Bespoke lighting has been carefully integrated to provide extraordinary spaces which stimulate the senses, delivering an immersive and memorable experience. Lighting was integrated within furniture, assembled offsite, and using 3D printed forms/features to reduce waste and optimise efficiencies.
Designs were optimised using 3D software, with suppliers, equipment and materials selected to minimise embedded carbon. Embodying Scotland’s rich cultural tapestry, a multitude of narrative streams are interwoven across the hotel’s three buildings.
Many lighting components effectively disappear during daylight hours, appearing only when and where light is required. The lighting intent strikes a balance between uniformity and visual interest, to ensure that spaces are accessible and inclusive, yet able to create the right character for a W brand hotel. The result is a flexible, dynamic, and vibrant city-centre destination, which can be tailored to suit specific times, events, and occasions.
These include Ancient Pride/Land of the Free, Secret Passages/Mythical Creatures, Scientists/Inventors + Visionaries, Untamed Energy/the Volcanic Heart of Scotland, Warrior Poets/ Disruptors.
Mostly all lighting elements throughout are bespoke and often based on standard components tailored to the space or application, resulting in flexible, energy-efficient, and optimised spaces with intuitive controls and systems which are easy to maintain.
Selected features include: a deconstructed woven tartan sculpture that sails through the entrance lobby, a trophy wall with bespoke unicorn heads (The national animal of Scotland), architects tools’ pendant inspired by James Craig (the architect of Edinburgh New Town), immersive spa treatment rooms corridors and suites, handcrafted tailored furniture and joinery with integrated programmable lighting elements, the surprising cinema tunnel within a ‘close’ between buildings, alchemy-inspired beaker lamps on a volcanic rock bar, tree canopy lighting feature surrounding the main bar, mythical creature inspired hand-blown crystal digital chandelier, concealed and integrated lighting throughout the W deck roof-terrace, low-impact integrated façade ribbon lighting, customised and innovative lighting features throughout guestrooms and suites. The latter are all based on sustainable materials, replaceable parts and upgradable components.
PROJECT CREDITS
Client: Nuveen
Architect and Interior Design: Jestico + Whiles
Control Integrator: Link Media Systems
CGI/Design Intent Renders: F10 Studios
