25Hours Hotel Florence | GLA - Genius Loci Architettura

For its debut in Italy the German hotel operator 25Hours Hotels chooses Florence and the former Convent of San Paolino in the heart of the historical center . The area which currently  is unknown to the most and hidden from the beaten tourist tracks of the city, will certainly  benefit from the effects of this intervention:  a brand new 170 Keys Lifestyle hotel,  with a small SPA and other amenities like a restaurant, an all day, a cocktail bar and a local  delicatessen obviously open to the neighborhood.

The intervention is one of those that will leave the mark in the city for different reasons but one of the many makes it stand out. Within the historic center of Florence, a controlled demolition of over 4,500 s.m. has not been achieved in long time.  The change of use of one of the most important urban voids of Florence that led this particular portion of the city to be one of the most problematic of Florence is linked to the AIRE Hotel Florence company (Art-Invest Real Estate Management GmbH) and to the German company 25 Hours Hotels (part of the Accor Group)  that have appointed GLA -  Genius Loci Architettura - of the re-adaptive use,  refurbishment and design of the entire complex with the aim of reconnecting the relationship with the surrounding urban fabric. The urban regeneration is a common thread that links this intervention with the first  25 Hours Hotel Company led by Christoph Hoffman; the "Bikini Hotel" (which took the name from a shopping center of the 80s) has in fact realized a small miracle in the neighborhood magnificently represented by Uli Edel in the movie "Christiane F. – We children of Bahnhof Zoo" replacing the drug addiction trafficking and prostitution problems rooted at the Zoologischer Garten station with  new way to experience hospitality by opening  an hotel venue to the entire neighborhood. From that intervention, which started with the intent of  renovation  by transforming a degraded and degrading neighborhood, 10 years have passed and even the Zoo which is now  facing  the now famous hotel roof top bar “The Monkeys" has taken on a new life.

Also via Palazzuolo has several  social problems  in common with Berlin of the early 80’s  and although the red light district of Florence that was in the surroundings of this building is no longer there, the problems related to drug dealing do not seem to be overcome yet.

This is a great challenge in front to the designers and for 25 hHurs Hotels; propose the same concept that has allowed the "Bikini Hotel" to be the spark of an urban renewal in a city with a complete different historical background and culture, proposing a renaissance and a "new life" and a the coming out of the dark age for this neighborhood.

The transformation concerns not only the aforementioned historical convent, which  over time was converted into the Bank of Florence, abandoned for over a decade, but also the construction of a new guest wing,  following the demolition of few incongruous architectural elements used in the previous century as warehouses but  also the redesign of the entire Piazza San Paolino.  The piazza  proposal prepared by GLA will be benefit of and upgrade and new face of its surrounding: with the aim of reaffirming, even in this city section its historical relationship within  the urban fabric and the main Florentine churches. The design foresees the reaffirmation of its parvis (sagrato) and a new pedestrian area . The design proposal of the Florentine studio is being examined by the institutions in these months. The 25 Hours Hotels CEO Hoffmann expressed his enthusiasm at the idea of ​​developing the potential of this "urban void" and more generally, expressed his desire to establish "a strong connection between the hotel and the city".

The access to historical  hotel  building section of the Convent , founded in the 11th century, which is also  representing  the result of a plurality of interventions and alterations that took place from the 1600s until the 1950s will be the direct link to the new Piazza . Over the course of its long history, the building has also been the offices for the Florence Pawn  Shops of the Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze  . Of the 172 keys of the future 25 Hours Hotel Florence around 73 keys will be housed within "historical wing” of the  building,  the rest will be housed in a newly built building which is replacing the old warehouses. The density of the space will be greatly reduced by offsetting the building boundaries which will generate interesting outdoor spaces for  ground floor  terraced units  designed by  studio MAKIA of Florence in collaboration with Lumen Lighting Designer  also from Florence. 

The current enclosed cloister will be covered by a new skylight  designed by GLA, which will allow natural light to penetrate into the "Urban Jungle" (another fil rouge with the "Monkeys Bar") designed  by architect and designer Paola Navone.  Within this space a restaurant inspired to the local cuisine will come to life, as well as a local grocery shop,  a café,  and a cocktail  bar. The owners  have focused on combining designers with extensive experience in the international hotel industry and with a deep and deep-rooted knowledge of the city - GLA - and an International designer, with a leading name for Product and Interior Design.

The OTTO studio led by Paola Navone, embraced the choice of the German hotel operator to tell the story of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy playing between Inferno and create something unique within a much less dynamic city scenario, with an outstanding cosmopolitan look & fell .