HOTEL SCENARIO

Experiencing space
“…On the basis of everyday activities in space is built our immediate awareness of knowing we are intensely alive…
Environments that nurture our creative use of these spatial powers allow us to both project and realize our bodily existence, instead of reducing us to just another item among the objects surrounding us…”

The experience of Architecture, Henry Plummer

Scenario
/sce·nà·rio/
Il complesso delle strutture sceniche che raffigurano il luogo o l’ambiente dove si svolge l’azione teatrale.

Two steps away from the Pantheon, Hotel Scenario receives its visitor in a reconverted residential five stories historic palazzo from the XVII Century.
Dwelling on the cinematic value of the eternal city, MORQ imagines the “Hotel scenario” as an experience based on a narrative that unfolds in a sequence of powerful images.
This sequence follows the path of the traveler, from the arrival at the palazzo, to the intimacy of the room within a duality of realities: the very physical reality of Rome and its layered history; And a more elusive and constructed reality of ephemeral ever changing character that dwells on reflexes, light and penumbra as well as evocative objects that stimulate emotions and actions.
Between these two realities the narrative unfolds itself.

The Reception
Walking on the irregular paving of the streets of Rome, the traveler enters trough a discreet existing door into a subdued dark atmosphere, punctuated by the golden notes of metallic frames and lights. In respite from the frenetic city centre it is stirred into a space with Caravaggesque light and a counter that recalls the symbolic image of an alter where a guidance is offered.

The Passages
The Hotel unfolds in the entirety of the old palazzo and presents a grand exterior staircase in stone that opens up on a central courtyard. The steps of the staircase are consumed by the many passage of its past inhabitants and reminds the traveler of the passing time.

The Room
Entering his room, the traveler is submerged in a filtered natural light and enveloping atmosphere in nuances of beige and silver. Just as the grand staircase, the pre-existing wooden ceilings stand as a testimony to time while the matter of the thick walls is made of a natural clay-earth based render that feels and breathes tradition and warmth. Through a full-height and theatric glass-sliding panel that separate the room from the intimate bathing area, the traveler is reflected in his room, anchoring him in a scenario where he is the main actor. The sliding panels in front of the windows invite into motion, either to gently filter the light through their linen fabric or allow the gaze on the street below. The furniture of the room is simple and authentic, made of natural essential materials such as wood, metal, linen and leather that invite to touch and hold.In the intimacy of his room, the traveler faces the present mingled in the past: its reflection in the space, the aged beams of the wooden ceiling, a fragment of Rome, running water, a relaxing shower, the street light, the touch of linen, a full night of sleep, the smell of coffee, the bells of a church, an early walk to the Pantheon.

The Restaurant
At the ground floor, the courtyard has been transformed in a welcoming room through which the traveler accesses to the restaurant. The chef receives his guests in what used to be the stables of the palazzo. The rough walls and tall wooden ceilings belong to that time while contrasting black timber, steel furniture and a long reflective glass wall accommodate the clients of the restaurant in the present reality of their supper.

The Spa
In a subdued atmosphere, the underground Spa is a relaxation room in which was inserted a reflective glass-cladded volume containing the ultimate sauna and hammam experience.