Layered like fish scales or the feathers on a bird, white panels made of Corian® Exteriors cover the facade of the Mama Shelter Hotel in Luxembourg. The new structure built by the Batipart group is part of OBH – the Office Boutique Hotel project developed and realised by Luxembourg-based architectural studio M3 Architectes. The urban development project of the Kirchberg plateau includes an office building featuring a black facade that strongly contrasts with the white cladding of the Mama Shelter. This combination creates a striking effect of light and colour that fits harmoniously in the urban surroundings.
Mama Shelter Hotel in Luxembourg with a white facade in Corian® Exteriors; project by M3 Architects; fabrication by Créa Diffusion; photo by Christian Aschman, all rights reserved.
Built on Fort-Niedergrünewald street, the hotel designed by M3 Architects is the thirteenth piece of the Mama Shelter brand. Marie Lucas, co-founder and architect of the architecture firm, explains the design features of the building's facade: "We opted for a solution inspired by Shingle architecture, a style of the seventies that Luxembourg inherited with some beautiful examples. This stylistic choice positions the windows to meet the strict requirements in terms of size and design wanted by Studio Mama for the rooms and furnishing. With its oversized white shingles, the facade recalls the plumage of the hen whose paws were featured on the first logo of the Mama Shelter hotels, and which inspired us." The shingles form a protective case that envelops the building structure, ensuring comfort in an urban and trendy space.
M3 Architects relied on experienced partners to implement the ambitious facade project. Créa Diffusion, a highly skilled manufacturer of the Corian® Quality Network produced the shingle-like facade elements. The construction company Solidec ensured the on-site installation of the Corian® Exteriors panels.
Mama Shelter Hotel in Luxembourg with a white facade in Corian® Exteriors; project by M3 Architects; fabrication by Créa Diffusion; photo by Christian Aschman, all rights reserved.
About the challenges of manufacturing the cladding elements, Thierry Delles, CEO at Créa Diffusion, explains: "Mama Shelter is an emblematic brand and this new building in Luxembourg is a prestigious project. With their surface area of 12 square meters, the cladding panels have extraordinary dimensions. In addition to our skills in the manufacture of Corian® Exteriors, it was necessary to create a specific handling method. We have developed a particular technique for sanding operations carried out robotically. The encasing installation of the facade elements, as well as meeting the requirements of wind resistance and fire protection, are aspects that contributed to the complexity of this project."
Corian® Exteriors is a reliable and durable material that offers endless possibilities for facade design. Panels can be glued without visible joints and are thermoformable, ensuring uncompromising beauty even when used on large areas and curved shapes. Corian® Exteriors is non-porous, colourfast and UV-resistant. If the surface is damaged despite its durability and resistance to dirt and stains, it can be easily repaired on-site.
Mama Shelter Hotel in Luxembourg with a white facade in Corian® Exteriors; project by M3 Architects; fabrication by Créa Diffusion; photo by Christian Aschman, all rights reserved.
From facade design to interior design, Corian® is often praised for its versatility and ease of maintenance. The 145 rooms of the hotel have been fitted with Corian® vanity tops, which give each bathroom a minimalist beauty combined with easy maintenance.
The result is a welcoming, modern and comfortable hotel. It is built on a slope, with the main entrance at street level where the large glass wall reveals the restaurant and provides visual contact with the outside. On the floor above, a spacious and innovative coworking area also serves as a raised back entrance to the hotel. Above, are an additional five floors of rooms and on the roof, a panoramic terrace offers a place to relax. The protective frame provided by the scaled shingles in Corian® Exteriors encloses the Mama Shelter hotel in Luxembourg.
Mama Shelter Hotel in Luxembourg with a white facade in Corian® Exteriors; project by M3 Architects; fabrication by Créa Diffusion; photo by Christian Aschman, all rights reserved.
About M3 Architectes (http://www.m3architectes.lu/) - Luxembourg based M3 Architects is currently run by 5 partners, Jos Dell, Marie Lucas, Carlos Esteves Duarte, Philippe Mayer and Jürgen Simon, supported by a team of 39 employees. For 20 years, M3 Architects has been active in most areas of architecture, urban planning and interior design. The architectural practice covers all project phases, in accordance with the context and constraints defined with its clients. The agency's staff is involved in a deeply contemporary approach based on the most advanced visualisation, communication and management techniques, while feedback on experience, time for reflection and discussion, work on models, the practice of sketching remain fundamental elements of creativity and creation.
About Créa Diffusion (https://www.crea-diffusion.com/) - Founded in 1988 by Thierry et Laurent Delles, Créa Diffusion is specializing in the transformation of Corian®. The company works in perfect harmony with architects and designers to innovate and experiment, making the impossible come true.The know-how of this family-run, artisanal company is always available to designers and their wildest creativity. The latter come with their projects and Créa Diffusion thinks, finds the appropriate solutions to create and realize. Recently, two fields have been developed, that of facades and envelopes in Corian©, and their industrial applications.
About Soludec (https://www.soludec.lu/) - Soludec, short for “the Luxembourg company for business and construction“, was founded in 1949. The activities of Soludec SA are those of a general construction company in the building, civil engineering and civil engineering works sectors, both for the structural work (GO) and general contracting (TCE) markets. Soludec SA is one of the leading companies on the Luxembourg market. Its main clients come from both the private and public sectors. At the same time, Soludec acts as a property developer and develops luxury residential complexes (with the highest energy standards) and tertiary sector buildings in its own name.
The company holds stakes in Soludec Development sàrl, Ferrac, Cobéton, l'immobilière du quartier KSA, Marial Immobilière SA, Espace Luxembourg Bruxelles sàrl, Soludec Asars Development SA and BS Development SA.