VIDEO: AHEAD x Dezeen on COO
Sleeper has worked with Dezeen on a series of videos documenting the inaugural AHEAD Asia programme, the awards platform celebrating hotel design in all its forms.
In this second instalment Singapore architect Colin Seah – Founder, Ministry of Design – explains the concept behind COO, a new hostel and bistro aimed at young, design-conscious travellers on a budget, that took home the award for Visual Identity of the Year.
Situated in Tiong Bahru, a low-rise area of Singapore originally built for public housing, the project draws predominantly from the history of the locale, though integrates effectively with surrounding contemporary bars and restaurants.
“The strategy was to create an abstraction inspired the local heritage and architecture from the neighbourhood,” Seah explains. “You’ll see a series of screens which are inspired by window grilles from the 40s and 50s that the apartment buildings commonly used. And on the wallpaper there are sketches, graphic images and text that pertain to the food, culture and architecture of the neighbourhood.”
As well as designing the hotel’s interiors, Ministry of Design further created the branding strategy and visual character of the hotel, including a web application titled COO Connect that allows guests to interact with other residents ahead of their stay.
Launched in December 2016, COO comprises a ground floor bistro and reception, 11 guestrooms containing 68 beds, and a small terrace.
AHEAD Asia took place on 7 March at The Capitol Theatre, Singapore, and welcomed 350 architects, designers, developers and operators, among others. The event marked the first of eight regional award ceremonies taking place around the world in 2017 and 2018, celebrating the best new hotels in Asia, the Americas, the Middle East & Africa, and Europe. These regional heats will culminate in a Global Biennale in 2019, which will see the winners of the regional heats compete head-to-head to decide a worldwide winner in each category.
AHEAD Americas, the next AHEAD programme, will take place on 28 June 2017 at Perez Art Museum Miami.
The full list of AHEAD Asia winners can be found here.
