Zander K Hotel houses 249 rooms across almost one whole city block that originally included two historic buildings. The whole interior is one, but to diminish the scale of the hotel within its smaller scale surroundings, the two old façades were restored and painted in different colours contrasting to the dark blue of the new infill. The unifying element between all three structures is the window grid, the dimensions of which are replicated from those found on one of the two old buildings.

The entrance to the hotel is through a green glass windcatcher. A large entrance room offers an overview of the entire space containing bar, restaurant (with an eight-metre long dining table), lounge and the reception. These various functions overlap, creating fluidity to a space that ebbs and flows with activity throughout the day. The space is punctuated by irregularly placed pillars, dark green curtains arranged in circular formations (allowing for Chambres Séparées) and an array of ‘raw’ and tactile materials: solid woods, exposed concrete, polished marble, leaf-patterned cement tiles, velvet curtains, dark, reflective glass and a zinc bar.

The bedrooms on the five floors above are accessed along dark blue corridors that match the colour of the hotel’s façade. The guest rooms are visually enlarged with generously-sized windows enhanced by a convex mirror positioned behind the bed. Some windows are covered in blue glass which, during the day, barely registers from the outside, but is enjoyed from the inside. At night, the effect is reversed with the windows glowing blue when backlit by the room lights.

Claesson Koivisto Rune designed most of the furnishings, some especially for the hotel.

Hotel Zander K is the second hotel by Claesson Koivisto Rune for De Bergenske.