Naruse Inokuma Architects reinvents capsule hotel experience

All images © Nacása & Partners

Called Nine Hours Capsule Hotel, the 994m² hotel has been designed as a project that revolutionises the capsule hotel concept, setting a new standard for these types of hotels. As the studio highlights, the business model, first began in Japan specialising only in offering cheap stays, and the comfort of their lodging spaces have long been overlooked.

Naruse Inokuma Architects designed a completely new form of capsule hotel that reinvents its conventional image and pursues functionality while simultaneously providing a rich staying experience.

Specifically, in the new design, the wet areas are made more habitable in order to lessen the stress of downtimes, such as the time spent in between showering and going to sleep or between getting ready and heading out.

All images © Nacása & Partners

Connected spaces

For this purpose, the lockers, washing area, shower and toilet space, which had all been located in separate spaces heretofore, are connected together into a single sequence, and a lounge function is incorporated into this connected space to create a spacious "sanitary lounge".

At the same time, the studio reconfigured the four stages of the capsule hotel stay into four scenes comprising the "reception", "prologue corridor", "sanitary lounge", and "sleeping pod" spaces.

All images © Nacása & Partners

By selecting the most suitable colours, materials and lighting for each of these functions, we were able to realise a functional hotel that is also rich in the joys of the hotel stay – from the "welcoming" to the "excitement", "relaxation" and "ultimate sleep experience".

Article originally published on World Architecture Community.