Riva Hotel | Foster and Partners

The Riva Hotel, a five-star hotel near the Heathrow Airport in London, England, is a design by Foster and Partners. A light design with a distinctive layered glass shell, the hotel has generated great support and encouragement from local residences, businesses and the Borough of Hillingdon.

image © Foster + Partners

With a wide range of facilities and comfortable atmosphere, this building is ensured to play a vital role in serving both international travelers and the local community with an enjoyable experience.Rising to a height of approximately 25.6 meters, the hotel has 13 levels which are above ground and several levels that are sunken into the ground. By limiting the number of storeys above ground and the height of the building, the design relates more to its surroundings, responding better to the context in which it is placed without becoming too over powering and heavy.

image © Foster + Partners

Being the first five-star hotel in the immediate vicinity of Heathrow, this design also marks a key stage in the area’s transformation, having a design that is interesting enough to draw attention without appearing out of place.With the design there are 577 hotel rooms, situated in forms reminiscent of stacked boxes with slightly angled sides with panels over lapping one another adding an added depth to the spaces. The program also includes a conference center, bowling, alley and ballroom within an internal net area of 59,618 square meters. The design also features are six pavilions linked by bridges and wrapped in a unifying glass envelope. The glass envelope not only adds to the façade and lightness of the building it also allows daylight to flood the interior spaces, acts as a noise barrier, and contributes to a high efficient energy strategy.