DRATZ&DRATZ ARCHITEKTEN

Description

Hotel Shanghai is one of the best clubs in the Ruhr Valley, know far beyond the region’s borders. A ramp formerly leading to an underground car park has now become an extension to the electronic music club in Essen. The two shifts in level were connected by a stairway system of black phenolic-resin slabs. This allows the space to be used while its geometry still remains tangible. The walls and ceilings were merely freed from multiple layers of paint, exposing the concrete surfaces. Neon letters spelling HOTEL provide the only illumination, bathing the wall surfaces in a warm yellow. The intervention has created more than just a smoking room; in the meantime it is also being used for lectures, film screenings, discussion evenings and acoustic concerts, extending the club’s range of offerings.