Monongahela River Retreat 

 

Brief: The project was to design a hotel and/or restaurant for Brownsville, a small town outside of Pittsburgh. The town council hopes to revitalize the town and to boost tourism in the area. The hotel was to have at least three different room types, with 50 bedrooms, a conference room, events and business center, cafe and staff areas. This project was to be kept to code and egress, structure, fire safety, sustainability and services were to be considered.

 

The existing site was to be designed to benefit not only the hotel guests, but the community of Brownsville. The proposed site design was a large park area with planters and an orchard, a plaza in front of the hotel that can be used as an event space (i.e. markets, concerts), a sports field, space for a river equipment hire shop, terraces leading down to the creek and river and an ice rink (for winter) and splashpad (for summer).

 

The concept for this project was exploration through hiding and revealing in order to extend the experience of adventure that the town hopes to emanate. A grand staircase starts the journey, criss-crossing between floors revealing ameneties such as a rock climbing wall and billiard room so that the entire building is a chance to explore and discover. The louvered exterior further strengthens the concept of revealing and concealing, allowing the guests to manipulate light and views to the river. The hotel is linked to the cafe through a porous canopy structure that guides guests between the two buildings and onto their next adventure.

 

Designed in collaboration with Sejal Bhikha.