Seeko'o Hotel in Bordeaux, France by Atelier King Kong

The Seeko'o hotel is positioned on Bordeaux’s waterfront at the intersection of the Quai de Bacalan and of the Cours Edouard Vaillant in a neighbourhood situated between the Chartrons and Bacalan, to the north of the city. Upstream, the waterfront façade built in the 18 century is characterised by the homogeneity of the stone buildings and its unique architectural continuity.

Looking out over the river, this façade is one of the main gems of the heritage of the city. In this particular, somewhat abandoned part of the waterfront, the heterogeneous architectural identity offers a much more anomalous façade. As for the Cours Edouard Vaillant, severely bombed during the 2 World Ward, its outward appearance is rather austere with little distinctive character.

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The hotel is part and parcel of this new urban dynamic and benefits from a vast, panoramic view over what goes to make up the façade of Bordeaux. It offers a new focal point and in the longer term will prove to be a hinge point for the necessary connection to the future development of the northern neighbourhoods.

Driven by that context, the project can thus afford to be resolutely modern without for all that turning its back on its belonging to a greater ensemble steeped in the history and memory of the locality. A regular pattern of evenly proportioned openings covers its two facades.

Architects: Atelier d'architecture King Kong
Construction year: 2007
Project Team: Paul Marion, Jean-Christophe Masnada, Frederic Neau and Laurent Portejoie, associate architects + Olivier Oslislo, Fontaneda Calzada David, Max Hildebrant, assistant architects

Structure Engineering: ETBA
Acoustics Engineering: IdB acoustic
Fluids Engineering: Math Engineering
Constructed Area: 2,300 sqm
Graphic Artists: Philippe Giraud (signage, tapestry), Julie Soistier (facade screen printing)
Photographs: Arthur Pequin