We wanted to create a journey of discovery for the members through the different floors, an immersion that culminates on the rooftop with an unexpected desert garden
– Luciano Mazza

Architecture studio HKS have been brought on board to design h.Club LA; the first international extension of London’s famous Hospital Club for film stars, musicians and members of high society.

The owner of that establishment, Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen, wants to build a new private "club for creatives" by renovating a five-storey hotel building in the shadow of the Hollywood Hills, next to the headquarters of Capitol Records.

He has tasked Hospital Club interior designer Russell Sage Studio to create “an energetic hub for the vibrant social life of the Hollywood community and their international friends.”

“We looked at several properties in the area,” said Luciano Mazza, director of hospitality architecture for HKS’ London studio. “As soon as we walked into the Redbury Hotel, we immediately realised the great potential of the building. Our mission became to take one icon and transform it into another, but with a new, quite different feel.”

Allen’s ambition is for the club to be a “place to see and be seen” – hosting social events, art displays and fine dining. Features will include modern health and wellness facilities, three different restaurant areas, an outdoor pool deck, a tearoom, several bars, creative co-working spaces, a music studio, a screening room and a live performance space.

These amenities, and some public spaces, will be incorporated within a building footprint initially intended to hold guestrooms. The property’s overall room count reduced from 57 to 36 suites “to strengthen the sense of indulgence and calm.”

HKS have substantially altered fifth floor to integrate the new roof terrace, which will significantly increases the club’s useable area. They’ve also designed a plant-filled pedestrian bridge, linked to the second floor to ease guest circulation by linking the two wings of the club. Together with Russell Sage, they have followed the Hospital Club’s philosophy of “connect, create and collaborate” to envision a comfortable home-away-from-home.

“Creativity is at the core of the club’s concept,” said Mazza. “We, as architects, had to push our ingenuity to the limit and look at constraints as opportunities to design unexpected and original solutions.

“We wanted to create a journey of discovery for the members through the different floors, an immersion that culminates on the rooftop with an unexpected desert garden inspired by the English landscapes of filmmaker Derek Jarman.

“With this design, we’re not only anticipating the trends, but creating them. It’s particularly rewarding to develop designs which aim to inspire other creatives, spaces where a synergy between minds, spirits and imaginations can flourish and lead to new ways of perceiving our world.”

Hollywood's rich and famous look set to be spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing an art-inspired hangout, with h.Club LA potentially opening around the same time as Gwyneth Paltrow's proposed arts club on Sunset Boulevard. That project is also inspired by an exclusive London establishment – the Arts Club, founded in 1863 "for the purpose of facilitating the social intercourse of persons connected with or interested in art, literature or science."

The seven-storey Hospital Club, established in London’s Covent Garden in 2004, within a refurbished 18th-century hospital. The building features a TV and music studio, a gallery, restaurant and bars, a screening room, hotel bedrooms and a performance space.

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