Olga Franco

Hotel de l’OEUVRE is a boutique hotel located in New York’s Soho neighborhood. Its design was inspired by the organic monumentality of Richard Serra’s sculptures and Steven Hall’s Ecology Museum in Tianjin that evokes a dialectic sense of timeless stability and constant movement.

The project employs two main strategies: carving volumes and stacking spaces. The hotel’s interiors are carved into irregular, multi-level, abstract, minimalist, and free-flowing forms that stimulate multifunctional use such as art display, circulation, seating, and visual and ergonomic exploration. Accordingly, the architectural concept’s ultimate goal is to create the sense and experience of well-being. The space affords visitors an ample and naturally well-lit space for stress relief through meditation, contemplation, art exploration, and socialization.

Inside, guests are drawn to the mixture of free-flowing forms and the orthogonal design of the interiors, which culminate in the roof ensemble that adds to the physical and spiritual experience with its Zen garden, open terrace, and juice bar. The building is designed to minimize environmental impact by preserving the historical façade, using eco-friendly and recycled materials for construction, and by relying on a self-contained filtering system that reuses wastewater.