Third Year - Spring Semester

1. BLACKSBURG HOTEL
KATE BROWN

2. THE PROMPT
This challenging prompt of a 20-room hotel in the heart of downtown Blacksburg
presents its challenges, perhaps most notably the extremely long and narrow site
(120’ x 35’). More intimidating might be the aim of designing a relatively tall building
suitable to fit into the fabric of the historic center of town, without being disruptive or
out of character. Throughout the project, the focus was to achieve meaningful archi-
tecture at all scales of engagement, from the town to the street to the hotel room.

3. PRE DESIGN
The first formulations of the hotel involved careful
consideration of the most comfortable and harmonious
arrangement of program requiremments within the
building. Massing models were also made to become
familiar and sensitive to contexual factors and the
potential impact of the building on the street.

5. SITE CONSIDERATIONS
Arriving at a hotel is a journey of discovery in itself. From pulling into the driveway, to stepping into the grandeur
of a lobby, to finally opening that door to reveal the room within, every moment should be a delight to the guest.
The entrance to a hotel should be celebrated, and the hotel room door should not be opened to reveal a room
that is predictable and similar to rooms before experienced. Here, guests proceed through an avenue of trees,
to step onto grey pietra marble pavement and roll their luggage smoothly into the shade and shelter of the main
entrance porch.

6. ENTRANCE
The lobby entrance guides guests who are checking in
into the hotel to the reception and elevators. The Main
St. entrance peels back from the property line and
welcomes pedestrians into the coffee room and bar
area, in view of the grand staircase, which is masked
behind the glow of channel glass walls.

7. ORGANIZATION
The hotel utilizes a double loaded corridor, allowing for
an unconventional yet refreshing and spacious room
layout. Nine king rooms and nine double rooms are
located on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors, and two suites
are situated on the fifth floor, within close proximity to
the roof terrace, a popular lounge area in the summer.

9. THE FORM
The building is an arrangement of three volumes: one central mass that holds the majority of the hotel, and two
towers that provide the vertical circulation for the building. The entire building has a steel frame structure, but
the two types of form express the structure differently, divided by CMU load bearing walls. The towers, clad in
channel glass, reveal the structure, but the central volume is clad with brick and the structure lies within the walls
and floors of the building, leaving it unseen.

10. BRICK ON METAL STUD WALL
The facade reads as rigid and flush. On the South-east facade deep sill windows provide some relief from the
direct sunlight into those rooms. In the south-east facing double rooms, beds are also further away from the
window and therefore protected from the direct light. On the shaded north-west side, the king rooms are closer
to the windows and have shallower sills. Where the brick wall meets the sky, it either matures as a parapet or
extends into a slender glass and steel railing on the roof terrace, a perfect place to enjoy the fresh air and views
from sunrise to sunset.

13. CHANNEL GLASS WALL
The channel glass walls tie back to the steel
structure and are separated from the stairwell with
a single layer of glass. The glass towers resist
heat loss with transparent insulation within the
channels. The 13” panels are separated by a thin
silicone sealant that provides the mullions of the
walls and adds to the overall vertical expression.

14. EXTERIOR EXPRESSION
After several iterations the exterior facades of the building became more refined and reflected the clear interior
division of the three volumes. During the day, the translucent channel glass gives some hint of the guests’ move-
ment up and down the stairs, and at night, the channel glass glows warmly as an attractive beacon on the main
throroughfare of Downtown. The roman brick walls of the main volume pinch inwards at points of entrance, and
reflect interior floor levels with a change in brick patterns. The rough and colorful texture of reused bricks on the
facade contrasts strongly to the frosted, subdued channel glass surface of the towers.

17. VERTICAL CIRCULATION
Two stairways punctuate the corners of the
building. The Main St. stair is a grand stair with
a slow ascent and gentle riser of 6”, landing
directly into the hotel lounge. The other is a
switchback stair, next to the elevator, providing
efficient circulation to the building.

19. THE ROOM
When the guest arrives at their room they are met with a recessed, wide, low-
er-than-usual wooden door, that swings open heavily into a deep door frame,
providing almost a vestibule for the hotel room within the door frame itself. Even
just during the journey between the hotel entrance and the hotel room, guests step
through opposite spatial experiences of the channel glass towers and brick building,
guided by inflections and recesses, finally embraced by the warmth of a sunlit room.

20. BLACKSBURG HOTEL
KATE BROWN