PENT HOUSE＝ANCHOR HOTEL’S SHOWCASE

“The penthouse on the tenth floor is the highlight of the ANCHOR HOTEL. We wanted the customers to fully experience the local connection with the district and the hotel to charm the customers to its full potential. This special penthouse on the top floor of the hotel includes local products such as stools and side tables from DENTOU KOUGEI CO., LTD, denim fabrics from DISCOVERLINK Setouchi, MEIWA SANGYOU LLC, and YOSHIKAWAORIMONO CO., LTD. Also, braids called Sanada braids from FUJIIRIBBON LLC and sofas from KOKOROISHI KOUGEI INC. All of these local products from local companies fill the penthouse from top to bottom. They say that Fukuyama city is known for its craftsmanship, but you can only fully experience the quality of the craftsmanship from this area if you see the products with your own eyes. The penthouse acts as a showcase that removes the barrier between the manufacturer and the guest.

There’s a reason for everything, whether it’s visible or not.

“Quality lies in the detail.” Mr. Nishimura’s attention to detail is reflected in all the hotel rooms. For instance, the entrance of the room is designed to immediately light up when you enter it. “You wouldn’t want to come back to a dark home, would you?” says Mr. Nishimura. Another point is that the bed frame is higher than the usual beds in order to highlight the wood of the bed frame and make the room appear more spacious. Also, the cables from the TV and the lighting are covered by pipings which are exposed by design. Mr. Nishimura gives an articulate response to every question about the details of the room. “There’s always a reason behind a design.” However, this is easier said than done. You need a lot of knowledge and mental strength to survive in the world of design but the professional’s words are supported by the space he created.

“My pride as an architect”

“Many people including the owner Mr. Hosoba (President of SUN CREA Co., Ltd.) and the art director Mr. Iijima has poured their hearts into the ANCHOR HOTEL. It was a repeating process of realizing their ideas into blueprints and models and then modifying it,” says Mr. Nishimura who was responsible for the design and architecture. The grand ideas from these unique personalities are fully realized through the ANCHOR HOTEL. “The ‘design’ part of the job is done once the owner’s ideal is achieved. However, an ‘architecture’ job involves proposing ideas, fulfilling the ideals of the owners and expressing the views of the owners and directors. You first try to pack everybody’s ideas into the design and depending on what reality allows, you reconstruct the plan. We were able to build this spectacular hotel because nobody compromised during this process.” Professionals of art direction, hotel management, and architecture gave serious thought and energy into this hotel. “We gave it our all to this project and it felt like we lost something when it was finished. That’s how much we were committed.” says Mr. Nishimura while smiling candidly.

An architect ‘anchors’ the team’s ideas

What was the most difficult part of the project? We received an unexpected response from this question. “The penthouse was not part of the initial plan. We actually didn’t even plan the bar on the first floor initially. So, as you can imagine modifying the plan took quite a bit of effort. However, nobody wanted to just make an ordinary hotel. The concept was ‘the hub of the local community’ and we all held this idea at heart during the designing process and arrived at the final form.” This is why the bar, which connects people and the penthouse which highlights local craftsmanship, was incorporated in the design of the hotel. In this way, a conversion of “a residential building into a base where people gather together” was realized. “The reason why we made serious efforts into the details whether it is visible or not was to deliver the team’s thoughts and ideas to the customer as much as possible,” says Mr. Nishimura. He is the one who is anchoring the ANCHOR HOTEL team’s thoughts. We hope you are blown away when you experience the intricate details that channel the team’s thoughts with all of your senses.

Takashi Nishimura Architects × ANCHOR HOTEL