Ramada Hotel

Auckland

The colour palette for the exterior was determined from the style of the building’s exterior and with the aim to make it stand out and become a landmark building.

This building in Federal Street, Central City was originally constructed in 1987 and was a very tall but narrow building. It was first occupied by Osaka House (Sister City to Auckland) where it was primarily used for office space. Hotel type accommodation was later added to levels 3, 4 and 5.

With diminishing tenancy, the building changed hands to Safari Group in 2014, who subsequently undertook a full refurbishment to convert it into a hotel and serviced apartments. They engaged Kouros Design Ltd to undertake the selection of all interior and exterior materials along with colour palettes and all furnishings.

The project was completed quickly in six months and the hotel was soon trading at near full occupancy with many comments from guests on the unique chic ambience achieved through the colours and furnishings. The interior follows an Art Deco theme with the style of furnishings and colours that have been used.

The colour palette for the exterior was determined from the style of the building’s exterior and with the aim to make it stand out and become a landmark building. With a sense of art deco styling, this was the base for the overall concept. Above the entrance the middle of the building, which looked like a layer cake, has now been accented to make it a strong feature. Resene Bonfire, Resene Taupe Grey and Resene Black all combine together for a striking colour palette.

This building had been neglected over the years and there was a focus to reinvigorate its life by adding bright colour to the exterior, something that is not very common in the city centre. Now it looks alive bringing a sense of life back in to that end of Federal Street.

Architectural specifier: Studio37
Building contractor: Safari Group Ltd
Client: Ramada Group
Interior designer: Pam Taylor, Kouros Group Ltd
Painting contractor: Errol Downey
Other key contributor: Fabrics: James Dunlop; Furnz Group
Project manager: Damien Taylor, Safari Group; group director/site manager: Stephen Taylor, Safari Group
Project: Resene Total Colour Awards 2016