London Riverbank Hotel

Squire and Partners was appointed by Park Plaza Hotels in 2011 to enhance the London Riverbank Hotel on Albert Embankment with a brief to improve public realm, create additional guest rooms and remodel the existing dated terracotta façade.

The extended building form was in part informed by the rights to light envelope, creating a single sculpted form. This envelope allowed the building height to increase as it approached the River Thames, creating a dynamic form and providing 100 additional guest rooms.

Façade designs were inspired by the history of Royal Doulton at The Lambeth Pottery, based nearby on Vauxhall Walk from 1815 to 1956. Predominant pigments used by Royal Doulton included a range of intense blues, which informed the colour palette of the blue glazed terracotta tiles on the façade. The reflective tiles mimic the movement of the River Thames as light passes across the façade.

Designs also created a more permeable landscape with open spaces for guests to enjoy, linking London Riverbank Hotel with the emerging Hampton House development and a new green pathway along Albert Embankment and Nine Elms Walk. Added landscaping included trees, hedges and benches to soften the approach to the hotel, as well as pocket gardens at roof level.