Sleeperz celebrates RIBA recognition
A landmark Cardiff city centre hotel is celebrating having been presented with a prestigious award by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
Sleeperz – the 74-bedroom design-led hotel situated directly adjacent to Cardiff Central Station – has joined an elite list of buildings across the whole of the UK and Europe to be recognised by RIBA, whose awards honour buildings that have achieved the highest architectural standards and also make a substantial contribution to the local environment.
President of the Royal Society of Architects in Wales (RSAW), Pierre Wassenaar visited the hotel to present the award, which was accepted on behalf of Sleeperz by Chief Executive of Sleeperz Hotels, David Myers.
The Sleeperz concept is based around compact hotels in city centre locations adjacent to mainline railway stations, offering great value for money. Cardiff’s hotel is the first of several others planned across the UK, with Newcastle set to follow next year.
Designed by award-winning architects Clash Associates, the six-storey hotel is a modern, highly visible and an instantly recognisable building. The high specification room designs each feature floor to ceiling windows that afford great views across the city and increase the feeling of space.
Maximum use has been made of space in all areas of the hotel, while the limestone and glass façade allows light to flood through the building.
Speaking about the decision to award Sleeperz this prestigious accolade, Martin Knight, Chairman of the RIBA Awards Jury 2010 said: “The whole Sleeperz operational model is an innovation and the resulting construction cost per room suggests many more sites could be made to work with this sort of thinking and with clever design tailored to small sites.
“This is not back to basics architecture but possibly a reinvention of the city-centre hotel model for a money-conscious world.
“The proximity to the railway is celebrated rather than hidden, with the full-height windows giving clear views of the trains passing silently behind acoustic glass.
“Sleeperz is a welcome addition to Cardiff’s landscape and the striking building has certainly succeeded in making a substantial contribution to its local environment, making it very worthy of this award.”
Chief Executive of Sleeperz Hotels, David Myers added:
“Our Cardiff site fits perfectly with the Sleeperz Hotels ethos – utilising challenging sites very close to mainline railway stations to create a stylish urban hotel..
“Although an affordable alternative to mainstream limited service hotels, no element of style has been sacrificed – on both the external and internal finish – with colourful and contemporary interiors creating a sense of modern urban living.
“With Sleeperz, we really feel we have created a unique product in terms of both the style and standard of accommodation and to be recognised by such a respected industry body is a real achievement. We’re delighted with this RIBA accolade and look forward to rolling out this successful model across other sites.