Prince Eugene of Savoy, a true cosmopolitan and patron of the arts, inspired the latest hotel project in the luxury & lifestyle category: “Andaz Vienna am Belvedere”, part of a division of the Hyatt Group, with Signa as client.
Studio: Archisphere
Design Team: about 20 architects from seven Nations
Area: internationally active
Year of finalisation Andaz: 2019
Location of the studio: Vienna
Location of Hotel Andaz: Vienna
Photography credits: copyright of the project photos of the hotel is by “Hyatt Andaz am Belvedere” copyright of the two last images of our office is by “Christof Wagner”.
This design line by Hyatt places particular emphasis on embedding properties in the local environment: Vienna’s history is incorporated and continued in the visual narrative. The brand name “Andaz” is derived from Hindi and signifies “personal style”. Gabriel Kacerovsky and Claudio Carbone have engaged fully with this ambitious mandate – their designs for “Andaz Vienna am Belvedere” have resulted in a generous lifestyle hotel that impresses not only with its high-end materials and sumptuous furnishings, but also with its cultural immersion in the surrounding neighbourhood.
Situated within a stone’s throw from Belvedere Palace, opposite the contemporary art museum Belvedere 21 and the Schweizergarten park and at the heart of the exciting urban development zone around the new Vienna Main Station, the Italian star architect and Pritzker Prize winner Renzo Piano has created a complex composed of several individual structures. The soaring vertical volume with a ceramic façade rests atop striking, nine-metre-high supports. The greenery of the Schweizergarten park is conceptually continued below the “floating buildings”. The “Andaz Vienna” hotel is composed of two wings linked by intricate bridges and a spacious, airy and visually permeable lobby. The room-high glazing extending over the full height of 16 storeys discloses vistas of the adjacent park and almost the whole of the city. Gabriel Kacerovsky: “My personal favourite view is from the rooftop bar with Belvedere Palace in front and the old city centre spread out behind it – best enjoyed at sundown with a drink and good friends.”
“The hotel focuses on contemporary architecture, art and cuisine”, in the words of Gözde Eren, General Manager of “Andaz Vienna”, by following in the tradition of eccentric Prince Eugene and offering an experience for all senses that is to be savoured and enjoyed both by hotel guests and locals. For archisphere, the Vienna-based team of architects and designers that has handled all aspects of interior design for the project, the progressive early 18th– century aristocrat provided ideas and inspirations for the furnishings. However, the imagined host of “Andaz Vienna” is not a historical figure, but his fictitious contemporary descendant “Eugene 21” – an art and architecture lover and collector like his ancestor, with whom he shares a love of luxury and design, with a small pinch of vanity.
As a result, the 303 guestrooms including 44 suites and one penthouse suite on the 15th floor impress not only with their lavish furnishings and a slew of amenities, but also showcase local contemporary art, curated by the Viennese art galleries Senn and Charim. All spaces of “Andaz am Belvedere” are imbued by a passion for extraordinary things and by a love of sophisticated craftsmanship, ranging from smartly cut glass for mirror doors to intricate wall panelling and herringbone parquet or the use of contemporary luminaires to create varied light effects.
Rendering the boundaries between hotel and surroundings permeable and engaging with the surrounding neighbourhood were also prime concerns for Carmen Dumitrescu of archisphere: “Guests wish to identify with their temporary home from home. This will be boosted by the hotel’s high recognition factor and by the extent to which its design principles are reflected in the interior design overall.”
Thus visitors and guests of “Andaz Vienna am Belvedere” can stroll through open, seamlessly blending spaces that inter alia comprise a 2,200-square metre conference zone, a 700-square metre ballroom, a fitness and spa area as well as three restaurants including the golden casket enveloping patrons of “Eugen 21” plus the easygoing “Cyclist”.
All guestrooms and common spaces feature light-coloured oak flooring, with accents created by furnishings with cut glass and etched mirrors as well as wooden chairs recalling classic Viennese coffeehouses. The lounge bar with its warm hues, dark leather couches and hardwood shelves forms the heart of the lobby open to the surrounding neighbourhood and presenting works by contemporary local artists.
About Archisphere:
Archisphere, Gabriel Kacerovsky ZT GmbH, based in Vienna, Austria, was founded in 2000 by Gabriel Kacerovsky. Today the team consists of about 20 architects and designers from seven
nations. Archisphere’s projects are characterized by creativity, precision and consideration. With every project – mainly in the hotel and hospitality sectors – Archisphere tells a story that begins with planning, becomes visible in design and becomes tangible in use. The visions that have come true include Hotel Andaz Vienna, Hotel Schani, Hotel Altstadt and outstanding projects for private clients.
