Hirsch Bedner Associates is one the today’s leading firms esteemed in the hospitality sector worldwide. The firm is owned and founded by Howard Hirsch and Michael Bender, with headquarters located in Santa Monica, California. Established in 1965, the firm has made its presence worldwide and has delivered luxurious projects in the hotel design industry as well as resorts, spas, casinos, restaurants, and the residential sector. Besides working in different time zones and experiencing different design styles, this firm is continuously innovating new design frames as per the motion of time, from discovering contemporary feel to setting up new design trends for the upcoming industry.
Here are 15 world-renowned projects designed by Hirsch Bedner Associates in the field of architecture and interiors.
1. Power Plant Mall, Philippines | Hirsch Bedner Associates
Power plant mall is an existing structure related to retail, lifestyle, and entertainment complex. Due to the rise of urbanism and development in the retail industry, a requirement was engulfed to refurbish the new design style of this mall. The existing mall has a Spanish-influenced style and décor. This design style and the ambience are preserved for the future expansion, yet a proposed renovation was given with the existing spaces such as the future landmark hotel tower and the mall extension wings. Both of the expansion was enriched with the lavish landscaping in the surrounding area to empower its luxury and create a landmark of the existing surrounding.
2. Mandarin Oriental Bosphorus, Istanbul
The luxurious hotel accommodates social and business events located along the shoreline of eastern and western collision points. Designed in a contemporary style with a courtyard garden enhanced with the natural landscape surrounding, the built form offers its visitors a lavish and spectacular service. The hotel features restaurants, an outdoor pool, bar, and lounges for guests. It is also equipped with office furniture and other essential requirements.
3. Xuhui ASE Mall, China | Hirsch Bedner Associates
The mall is built to create a zeal of nightlife in the surrounding space. The building has restaurants, bars, and shops attracting the traffic moving on the Caobao and Caoxi roads. The design is oriented such that it enhances the movement of people from underground to different commercial and entertainment zones in a vertical circulation pattern.
The whole site of the mall is covered by a truss canopy reflecting out as a dynamic wave covering the site. It also enhances the weather inside and gives a pleasant and vibrant shopping environment, and allowing people to the walking street beneath the canopy with comfortable space.
4. Gamuda HH2, Vietnam
The Gamuda HH2 tower is a 42-story residential tower located in new Gamuda city. To emphasize and empower the value of residential apartments, the vertical highrise are three linear towers blended in a zig-zag pattern from the ground which allows desirable views for each residence and minimizes the bulky overlooking apartments from the outside. The landscaped sky gardens engender sustainable features of the tower and permit a passive control of the environment by allowing natural ventilation in residences and movement of air from the zig-zag path. It increases and provides a cool environment in the periphery of these towers. These features map standard resort leisure and comfortable living in a residential apartment and also eyespot the commercial property of place.
5. Chedi Xinchang Resort, China | Hirsch Bedner Associates
The resort is planned in a scattered way into five different built forms alongside the Xinchang scenic valley. Four blocks of Chedi Resort are located on a clear and composed land of the valley. The fifth block is placed on the hilltop above the scenic landscape gently flowing river in the surroundings. Pavilions, lounges, and other guest-oriented spaces are zoned in it to enjoy the whole view of the valley from a single viewpoint. The aesthetics of the resort have been derived from a vernacular culture of the city, using locally available stone for cladding, engaging an inside-out feel of space through large vertically glazed windows and separating the central facility of a resort in low rise pavilions, and adding a pinch of modern elements and ethnic era to balance out the building in a subtle manner.
6. Makkah Hotel and Residential Complex, Saudi Arabia
This project is a mixed-use commercial tower interlinked together, inhabiting spaces like the hotel, residential spaces, pilgrim accommodation, and commercial areas to accommodate and especially serve the footfall of the annual Hajj in Makkah city. As this building was built with the motive to serve the annual Hajj, the spaces inside and the aesthetics outside are designed contextual to the purpose by contemplating the places for prayers and relaxation for pilgrims at one site. It allows the movement of pilgrims with attention to the AI Haram Mosque. The prayer halls are planned in vertical height of the tower establishing the views of the Mosque, and the aesthetics are defined by uniting the Middle Eastern element with modern context. A few eye-catching elements are the screened façade and multi-layer gardens, the horizontal connectivity between vertical forms, and the inspiration from the local mountainous terrain. These elements reflect the present and future connectivity phase of the Makkah city.
7. 148 Giang Vo Mixed-Use, Vietnam
Giang Vo is a mixed-use building consisting of offices, a hotel, and a retail facility. The building serving these facilities at one centre enables the surrounding traffic to fulfil their resilient needs of working, living, shopping, dining, and entertainment at one centre by walking around the dynamic space, which has several design features like a roof garden, sky bar, leisure walk, outdoor terraces, central atrium, and event space. The gigantic wave-façade structured with the help of broad screens is inspired by the traditional Vietnamese lifestyle. It makes the façade more versatile, and the retail program allocated in wave patterns with glass connects the traffic with the space and provides a clear perspective.
8. Vinpearl Resort Nam Hoi An, Vietnam | Hirsch Bedner Associates
The project is a 500-guestroom hotel resort located in Nha Trang, Vietnam. This resort has been developed on the seashore, which seems to be a universal design of an 11-story tower standing huge as the landmark of that place. The built form of the massive storey tower is inspired by a sea vessel whose curved façade cut down the sharp edges similar to a meandering seashore. The vertical form of the tower is viewed as horizontal steps decreasing on every floor vertically.
9. Marrisle Leisure Resort, China
This is a 5-star luxury hotel located in Shanghai. HBA describes that their source of inspiration for the design was the client’s collection of thoroughbred horses; the form of the horse was imprinted in the design, from building up the structure to evolving the façade screen in copper. The resort has facilities such as guestrooms, banquet and meeting spaces; the central arena of the resort consists of a ballroom carrying a massive dome on its structure. The whole central structure is designed as a blend of contemporary style into a modern design expression, which is magnified as the focal point of the site.
10. Thu Thiem Residence, Vietnam | Hirsch Bedner Associates
The residential tower is located in the surroundings of the new City Opera House, Convention Centre, and Central Plaza, Riverside Park, with a desirable view of the Saigon River. The design of the building is inspired by the notion of symphony and opera. The residence is fully designed using glass and reflective materials on the façade, enhancing the natural daylight and acoustical comfort inside the building. The glazing enables a sense of openness towards the outside view. The interior of the residences is installed with a smart system and modern technology making it more sophisticated and providing an ease of living.
11. Azure Ala Moana, USA
The high-rise residential tower is a mixed-use building with 41 stories located in Honolulu between Honolulu’s Waikiki and Downtown districts. The concept of this building is taken from Hawaii’s rich topography. HBA defines their concept behind the design of the ground floor public areas as generating a space with “sun kissed bliss”. The mixed-use tower consists of public gathering places, a club, lounge, fitness center, theatre, pool, etc. Open floor plans are established as the key feature of the planning of the whole building as it connects the traditional style of planning with modern exotic interiors within the space and develops a timeless theme of design in the building.
12. Belmond Eagle Island, Botswana
A private island blended in the beauty of natural surroundings inhabits the luxurious lodging facility raised in natural form with tented guest rooms. Each guest room has a large terrace and plunge pool. This island also contains a large dining pavilion, lounge pavilion across two levels, a library, an entrance enclosure, and a retail area.
The structure is so generated on the landform located between different elements of nature that it creates a sensation of emerging from the lapel of natural landform, impacting the living style into an adventure. Each area of the camp has a fusion of natural elements into materials and patinas; the colour palette used in interiors is inspired by water and surrounding grassland. The greens, the soft yellows and the grey tones completely blend with the grassland. The space provides a sense of subtle and tranquil interiors and furniture with an elegant surrounding landscape.
13. Al Rayyan Hotel Doha, Qatar | Hirsch Bedner Associates
Al Rayyan Hotel is connected to the landmark mall of Qatar, magnifying the culture of shopping as an extension of the retail experience with the implementation of Qatari heritage as the highlight of the site. The entrance lounge reflects a palatial inner vibe with its three-dimensional backdrop illuminated by the skylight above furniture. It is blended in a 3D geometrical pattern with wooden and metallic décor of the space that drives the attention of the guest entering the hotel. Lobby directing towards other parts of the hotel area has been highlighted with a 40 meter high geometric patterned screen, inspired by Arabic motifs, casting a playful glimpse on the surrounding surfaces. There is a subtle balance in illumination through various thematic and standard lights. The interior of the space serves the purpose and provides a welcoming gesture to the guest.
14. Hotel Indigo Suzhou Grand Canal, China
Hotel Indigo reinforces the concept of luxurious interiors located at the top of 14- stories of 46-story Longfor Center in Suzhou’s New District. The philosophy behind the design was generated after revisiting the journey of the Qing Dynasty Qianlong Emperor and a tour of Suzhou. HBA infused the elements from vibrant sights and exotic locations of the city into the different areas of the hotel building and spaces. They conserve the ethnic elements into the building by implementing traditional materials, furniture design, and artwork, framing a complete picture of cultural style and décor, and enhancing the place with grand, luxury, and contemporary vibes. The hospitality of the space has been derived from architectural expression by synchronizing modern luxury and contemporary vibes, making it unique and lavish and ready for a fascinating experience.
15. The St. Regis Dubai, The Palm | Hirsch Bedner Associates
The hotel building is located in the heart of Dubai’s man-made island Palm Jumeirah. Respecting the architecture and glamorous vicinity of the island, the building conveys a sophisticated aesthetic in its design, inspired by the symbolic tree and emblematic plant in the region. The building contains 246 lavish rooms and 26 elegant suites, each enabled with a panoramic view of Palm Island and the Dubai skyline outsourced through its fully glazed walls. The colour palette and modern furniture with simplicity in design and a vibrant source of illumination turn out the complete interior into a subtle and contemporary theme. The openness added to this space connects this simplicity to the glamour of Dubai outside.
References:
- https://hbaarchitecture.com/
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/hirsch-bedner-associates/about/
- https://www.willpryce.com/ase-mall-shanghai
- https://www.prc-magazine.com/two-commercial-complexes-bringing-a-new-life-experience-to-xuhui-shanghai-binjiang-hangzhou/
- https://residential.cbrevietnam.com/en-US/the-metropole-thu-thiem-the-opera-residences-1
- https://www.hba.com/project/diplomat-beach-resort-hollywood-curio-collection-by-hilton
- www.youtube.com
