The Client’s brief was to design the new 5* Johannesburg Marriott Hotel and Marriott Executive Apartments Johannesburg as part of a mixed-use development in a way that seamlessly integrated the building with the existing principles of New Urbanism already established in the Melrose Arch precinct.

The 9-storey Marriott Hotel in tandem with a similar height Residential Apartment building was to be designed to enclose a common landscaped courtyard for the private use of these two buildings. Additionally, the brief included a double volume perimeter retail component to create a more human scale interface with the public at street level, and to expand the existing retail/commercial offering within the Melrose Arch precinct.
The Marriott Hotel is the core brand of Marriott International, and as such a set of design tenets have been established to differentiate the Marriott Hotel from other brands. These include the ‘Great Room’ – a grand multi-volume public space providing ad-hoc gathering areas, chill out zones and flexible collaboration spaces. Included within the ‘Great Room’ are a feature Hotel Bar, All Day Dining, Signature Restaurant and Sommelier’s bar with glazed walk-in wine cellar.
Directly off the ‘Great Room’ is the M-Club Lounge, an exclusive lounge facility similar to the airport private lounge concept which caters to the frequent guest.
Other public facilities available to guests, corporate entities and the general public include a 450m² sub-divisible Ballroom, assorted Meeting Rooms and Boardrooms, and a flexible Innovation Hub, all of which can be accessed via the multi-level 925 bay parking basement or accessed directly via the adjacent streets within the Melrose Arch precinct.
306 Well-appointed Guestrooms complete with 10 Junior Suites on Levels 1-5, together with 84 luxurious Executive Apartments encompassing 1-3 bed options for longer stays on Levels 6-8 are offered to prospective guests, who all have access to the dedicated Gym opening onto a landscaped Courtyard, together with a rim-flow Swimming Pool and Pool Bar.
The design was influenced primarily by context, requiring sensitivity to the scale and architectural intent of the Melrose Arch precinct while seamlessly blending into the urban fabric that has become a trademark of the development. In response, the design was multi-layered with an emphasis on horizontal progression of functionality. The lower levels have a street-level and public focus and are therefore highly transparent and engaging, functioning as an extension of the precinct street-lifestyle. In the levels above a more distinct and private design was required due to residential sensibilities.

The Marriott International design standards played a significant role in the internal space planning, window proportions, and safety considerations. Proportion was key to successfully merging building aesthetic with brand expectations, and the layered approach was utilized to great effect. By marginally projecting a lighter colour masonry panel spanning between the 2nd and 7th floors, what might have been a repetitive façade is thoughtfully articulated without over-complicating detailing. By subtly recessing the 1st and 8th floors together with darker paintwork, a perception of depth is created around the lighter colour masonry between the 2nd and 7th floors. The glazed curtain walls juxtapose against the solid masonry adjacent to create visually iconic corners at the street corner intersections.

The Marriott Hotel falls under the Marriott Classic Premium market segment and is Marriott’s signature brand, which offers sophisticated spaces targeting well-travelled 25- to 45-year-old professionals who comfortably merge work, play and eating in an ever-changing mix.

The Marriott Hotel experiences fall under the umbrella of 2 large service zones – the Welcome Zone (Reception and Concierge) and the Social Zone.

The Social Zone is the heart of the guest experience. The aim is to provide guests with flexible sub-zones within these spaces which are made distinct from one another by the use of FF&E which varies from individual seating to library tables, semi-private seating, lounge seating, cluster seating and communal tables.

In the case of the Johannesburg Marriott Hotel, a number of differentiated zones exist within the Great Room or hotel lobby with a series of chill out and collaboration lounge spaces which speak to the Social Zone design philosophy. These have been designed to encourage the flexible use of the spaces and provide 24h access to Wi-Fi and USB charging.

Key to the activation of the Social Zone is a variety of F&B offerings, and at the Johannesburg Marriott Hotel these include a Wine Library and sommelier activation space, the Archer Bar & Eatery and the Keystone Bistro & Bar at either end of the Great Room, as well as the M-Club lounge facility for VIP guests.

A focus on architectural detailing is paramount to the Marriott Hotel brand– so surfaces that are tactile, art that is integrated into materials, bespoke lighting, access to connectivity, restrained colour palette and deliberate local flair and inspiration.

The material palette at the Johannesburg Marriott Hotel is inspired by African industrial and urban landscapes, Highveld thunderstorms, shadow & light, metal and leather. These focal elements are evident in the faux copper wall cladding to the concierge/reception area, wrought iron and fretwork glass screens, smoked anthracite glass in the balustrades, vestibules and scenic lift, splashes of dark blue in carpets and on walls and bespoke tan leather chairs.

The inspiration for the hotel interiors takes its reference from the confluence of street art, Highveld storms, the railway commuter, Ekasi street style and the play of shadow and light in the city. These ideas express themselves in the use of a very natural, verging on industrial palette including copper, brass, leather look porcelain tiles, engineered timber planks, off-shutter concrete and textured wallpaper.
Examples of feature materials utilized to bring a more tactile feel as well as assist with acoustics to these vast public spaces are:
-an interlinked ‘cascade coil’ mesh which forms a 6m high 40 wide continuous backdrops to the Pre-function space
-artificially engineered ‘Cor-ten’ like cladding panels which clad the 2-storey, curved Executive Office behind the concierge desks
-a mixture of fretwork glass pivot doors and fixed screens juxtaposed against vast expanses of oak panels stained with Jax Oleum polyurethane sealant

Particular care has been taken in choosing the varied performance glazing used on respectively the scenic lift, cantilevered feature stair, internal balustrades, vestibules and skylight to create a visual connection between the disparate elements with a sophisticated smoked charcoal appearance throughout. This is complemented by the discreet jet black aluminum and steel trims and shadow-lines used throughout the public spaces.

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