Hotel in Amiens

In both function and architecture, the hotel is the first thing met by travellers exiting from the south side of Amiens' Gare de Nord. Largely open onto the public space, its ground floor reads as an extension of the station's forecourt. The main body of the 6-storey building takes the form of a large, curving, concrete sail, rounded at the principal angles so as so soften its massing and recall the stretching curves of the railway tracks that run alongside the space. The choice of white concrete pays homage to Auguste Perret, architect of the station, the Place Alphonse Figuet and the tower. A top floor in backlit, profiled glass highlights the curves of the facade and reinforces the presence of the building at night, a nod at the neon signs that characterise station surroundings. The organic composition of the windows amplifies the dynamism of the facade despite the strict regularity of its structural and functional grid.