Jury Citation
The Warehouse Hotel has set the benchmark for a Singaporean boutique hotel. Housed in a restored godown (the local term for “warehouse”), the hotel marries the celebration of heritage with modern design finishes that makes it relevant today and brings it into the future.
The Jury is absolutely amazed by the standard of design execution—all touchpoints have been exquisitely considered, from the respectful treatment of the hotel’s existing architectural fabric, to the wonderfully inventive use of space, colour, light and tectonics in its interiors. Having 37 rooms in the building, each with its unique character, is a design feat. The hotel’s meticulously crafted design language also permeates the furniture, accessories, communications collaterals and brand identity.
The care and attention paid to the restoration of the hotel has resulted in wide-ranging economic, social and emotional impact. Besides achieving consistently high occupation rates and repeat visitation rates, the design intervention has revived a place of social significance that had fallen into a dilapidated state for years. The restoration has since enlivened the area, rebuilt memories and made heritage relevant to the younger generation and those who have not encountered the original building.
Ticking all boxes for urban conservation, heritage, design and impact, The Warehouse Hotel has raised the bar for what a boutique hotel could be; the Jury is in agreement that “it has given something back to Singapore.”
VIEW JURORS
Nominator Citation
Tarun Kalra
General Manager
The Lo & Behold Group
Asylum did an outstanding job with the interior design of The Warehouse Hotel. In recent years, the industrial interior trend calls to mind spaces that are sometimes over-designed or done out of context. With the hotel’s origins as a warehouse, the epitome of “industrial”, their challenge was to evolve this design language in a way that was not trendy, but trend-setting. They did this by preserving the architectural structure of the building, contrasting its steely frame with soft leather interiors, brass finishing, green foliage and warm lighting.
The building has been around for many generations and has become somewhat of an architectural icon in Singapore. People are extremely grateful to see the building being given a new lease of life while guests truly appreciate the way the building’s illicit past still permeates every aspect of the hotel, including the finer details like our key cards, retail installation and minibar.
The Warehouse Hotel has received both local and international acclaim, including world-renowned design and travel publications such as Monocle, Wallpaper*, Sleeper Magazine and Condé Nast Traveler. It was a meticulous project that breathed new life into a space while still preserving as much of its heritage as possible.