The international competition for the interior of the NOBU Hotel and Restaurant was won by architects David Chipperfield Architects Berlin with Ester Bruzkus Architekten. Pritzker-Prize winning David Chipperfield is also the architect for the entire building in which the hotel will be located – the 61-story Elbtower in Hamburg’s HafenCity district.

The Hamburg Nobu Hotel’s design, materiality and color scheme are based on authentic representations of the local northern German natural landscape - with its harbor, sea, sand, shells, and plants. Simple, natural materials of high quality create an atmosphere characterized by the contrast between cool concrete, natural stone, and warm woods. The clear, reduced design language with finely crafted details approaches Japanese design principles and finds its inspiration in the simplicity of the preparation of Japanese food.

A dark and reflective palette is used to make the stylish interior of the compact boutique hotel. The material palette is dominated by glass, polished wood walls, leather, wood parquet, and marbles to create a sultry ambiance for hanging out and dining in. On the exterior, the unadorned dark gray façade contrasts with the surrounding buildings, and guests enter through a dark marble base that boasts its innate material opulence through simple detailing. Inside, the public spaces offer a dark and seductive sequence of reflective surfaces that lead past the day-lit library and reception area, through the glossy ebony-lined bar and open kitchen to a sculptural fireplace of green marble and glass. This fireplace occupies the center of the restaurant that opens laterally to a jungle-like courtyard garden. Upstairs, the 63 guest rooms are carefully detailed in contrasts of dark and light, ornamented with woven leathers, dark woods and reflective materials.

Distinct volumes of rich materials, clearly zoned spaces, and attentive detailing makes the ground floor of the Mercure Hotel in Wiesbaden warm, inviting and fresh. The entrance lobby is designed as a composition of volumes of distinct material identities: the central reception desk is made from pink marble and stands in dialogue with other volumes clad in woods and brass. Farther into the hotel, materials are similarly used to create the lounge, the dining room and the conference center. The bar is detailed in a similar way to the reception desk but is rendered in a deeply veined red marble, also with brass. Black marble window seats merge into steps to make the transition to two outside patios. A third patio area is at the edge of the dining room, which is made from calm gray tones and translucent glass. The bathrooms have the surprise of mixing white marbles with playful wallpapers ornamented with patterns of big fish.

The lighting was designed by internationally renowned lighting experts PSLab. Minimal but expert use of light gets the most important areas to shine. Large illuminated brass light fixtures welcome the guests as they arrive. The brass in both the lighting and the interior architecture compliments the red, pink and green color scheme, and harmonizes with the chestnut paneling and various natural stone counters.

Winner of the 2019 German Design Special Award, Meininger's hotel in Leipzig, a city famous for its artistic dynamism, follows the concept of “art in process.” The hotel design playfully suggest an art project that is not yet complete. Various installations in the lobby invite the participation of the user and encourage guests to help shape its appearance: for example, guests are invited to put colored stickers directly on the black reception desk, gradually altering the appearance of the piece as the days pass.

The design is based on strong material contrasts: the office area adjacent to the reception area is clad in mirrors that conceals functional elements (the bar buffet, self-service refrigerators and storage lockers) and constantly changes with reflections. In the breakfast room one encounters a scaffolding-like piece made of steel tubing and matte lacquered plywood panels called the GameFrame. Colors and patterns and textures and materials meet to create a dialogue between discrete pieces of the design.

On the floors with hotel rooms, corridors each have distinct colors that extend over the walls, ceilings and floor - and extend into the guest rooms, where they end with the contrasting bright white.

An invited competition for a hotel offered the opportunity to create a design based around a lower internal courtyard. This courtyard was envisioned as an exterior sculpture garden room surrounded by volumes of different materiality: a historic masonry building, plaster-clad hotel suites and an art gallery with a reflective facade.

The mass of the hotel is broken into separately articulated volumes with playful fenestration patterns; the art gallery serves as one edge of the garden and its reflective wall mirrors the image of the garden at the upper level. Garden platforms and wide stairs mediate the difference between the levels.

Bruzkus Batek was commissioned to add a hotel and offices to an existing industrial structure in Moscow. The strategy involved introducing a set of lowered outdoor rooms to make sunken gardens which extend access and light to lower levels of the existing building.

Our office been developing the interior corporate identity for the AZIMUT Hotel chain for more than three years.

The set of standards developed by these both are adapted anew to the plans of each hotel, and integrated into any existing site conditions. The concept is reviewed for each hotel as regards design and optimization of the budget, while also asking whether quality and guests’ comfort can be raised even higher; each hotel is therefore an update and constant improvement on the original design.

Ester Bruzkus and Patrick Batek have carried their new concept for the international hotel chain AZIMUT through to the eastern terminus of the Trans-Siberian Railway, transforming the AZIMUT Vladivostok into a modern, charming 4-star hotel with a warm yet simple atmosphere.

Ester Bruzkus and Patrick Batek developed the new vision for the AZIMUT international chain of hotels. Remaining true to their high aspirations and to their restrained style, the architects have created a series of modern and charming three-star-plus hotels with a warm yet unpretentious atmosphere.
Azimut St. Petersburg was created in an 18-story high-rise building built in 1967 on the banks of the River Fontanka.

The new concept was implemented storey by storey, respecting the architecture of this, the first skyscraper in the city. The station-like aspect of the entrance area posed a particular challenge, but here the idea of the “living lobby” proved to be ideal, providing designated areas for sitting, working and relaxing even for large numbers of guests – in high-season up to 2000 people per day – using furniture and lighting designed by Ester Bruzkus and Patrick Batek. The highlights of the lobby are the typical Azimut gold-coloured reception block and the eye-catching signage installations that show the way to the reception, restaurant or bar.

To immerse travelers in the unique character of Berlin - a city of incredible contrasts - the hostel presents a series of rooms of different material identities - through layers of art, materials and textures. Contrasts of bright and dim, rough and sleek, and old and new are playfully expressed through rough wood paneling, open ceilings, raw copper panels, pink and red textiles, black painted walls, patterned tiles, and mirrored ceilings. The work of artists is used at an architectural scale to recall Berlin’s street art scene: Thierry Noir’s work is similar to what he painted on Berlin Wall; room-sized work by Luke Embden and Sebastian Preschoux are in dialogue with exposed pipes, conduits and walls. This interior architecture represents the demanding cool attitude of youth and the contrasts that are Berlin.

The AZIMUT Ufa lies at the entrance to the Ural, in the capital city of the Republic of Baschkortostan. The concept was installed storey for storey, and openened to greet guests in 2013 with golden reception block, dark floors and lighter oak panelling welcome the incoming guests. Lighted vintage-lettered signs in different colours and sizes combine to create eye-catching installations that show the way to the reception, restaurant or bar.
In the "Living Lobby" distinctive areas defined by carpeting, bookshelves and glass walls, form zones where guests, mostly business travellers, can work or relax. In contrast to the bright atmosphere on the ground floor, the corridors are kept dark.

AZIMUT Moscow was the first project in which a new vision for a modern and fresh international chain of hotels was put into practice. Located in the gutted shell of an old textile factory from 1867, guests are welcomed by the brick ambience of the industrial revolution. As a special feature many of the rooms at Azimut Moscow are decorated with whitewashed brick walls – a tribute to the old textile factory.

The interior design concept for the Amano Hotel was “mix & match.” Just as the new architecture complemented Rosenthaler Straße’s older existing buildings, the interior was conceived as the combination of harmonizing and contrasting elements. The lobby is a modern interpretation of historic grand hotels with velvet-covered furniture, antique-style carpets and panelled back-lit columns.

In the adjoining breakfast area, neon-red handmade vintage chairs and a wooden table dominate the space. The mix of styles continues in the upper floors. In the simple, pure white corridors, a purpose-made patchwork carpet of "classical" hotel patterning ensures a contemporary and refreshingly new interpretation of the grand hotel motif. The 115 standard rooms and 48 apartments are furnished using a clear, modern formal language and a restrained color scheme. A very selective use of exquisite vintage-style furniture introduces striking accents of color and continues the "mix & match" idea.

The Lauder National Outreach Center was established to offer Jewish youth from all over the world a place to stay, and participate in workshops when visiting Berlin. Ronald Lauder made it possible through his Ronald S. Lauder Foundation. The building is located in Prenzlauer Berg and was made available by two members of the community.

This meeting and educational institution with a multifunctional space, for celebration, prayer and food, was designed by the Ester Bruzkus. A neutral colour scheme with dark brown linoleum and yellow chairs emphasizes the spaciousness of the public areas. Long built-in benches, which are placed along the walls, ensure there is plenty of space even for large groups.