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Materials guide the hyperlocal experience at a Greek hotel, our latest Awards winner

BOOKMARK ARTICLE

The Monasty hotel in Thessaloniki, Greece, is the February FRAME Awards winner of the month. It was recognized by the jury for its strong attention to materiality, combining historical design references with contemporary amenities.

Designed by Not a Number Architects, Monasty secured both the winning spot and the first honourable mention in the FRAME Awards February competition. Its use of materiality, earning the space a score of 8.24, landed it as February’s winning project. Monasty's submission in the Hotel category came in a close second with a total score of 8.12. The 7,000-sq-m hotel, located in the Greek city of Thessaloniki, draws on its Byzantine history and the neighbouring site’s former use as a monastery. Design references to both are found throughout the 100-room Marriott Autograph Collection hotel, which creates a zen-like environment, or as Edmond Huot, chief creative officer at Forwards Media describes it, a place where ‘monastic minimalism meets zen luxe'.

Not a Number Architects sought to instil an ‘alternative sense of locality’ with the design of the Monasty hotel in Thessaloniki.

The space earned the top spot and was commended by the jury for its keen attention to materiality, including brick, marble, leather, wood and more. ‘The chosen materials set the environment to its true nature,’ says Bernardo Saramago Tribolet, head of trend scouting at The Swatch Group. ‘The resulting combination with light is fantastic.’ Tessa Duste, cofounder at Makers of Sustainable Spaces. echoed the praise: ‘The design beautifully combines old and new materials, integrating green and water elements to make the entire space look and feel more friendly.’

In Time Green Coffee was designed to serve as a community living room.

The second honourable mention went to In Time Green Coffee, submitted in the Bar category. Designed by L SID, the Wuhan café , which earned a final score of 7.16, was designed to serve as a community living room. Social spaces are balanced with areas for individual reading and relaxation, parent-child entertainment and community events. Warm wood, white ceramic tiles and other neutral finishes feature in the venue.

Materials and colours demarcate different activity spaces at the Forkids Club in Shenzhen.

Ample glazing enlivens the mostly white interior of the Lycée La Providence school in Saint-Malo, France.

Forkid’s Club in Shenzhen was named the third honourable mention receiving an overall score of 6.79. Panorama Design Group's design enables a new type of parent-child play through integrated play, learning, dining and socializing spaces. Various activity zones are demarcated by different colours and materials. A second learning space in Saint-Malo, France, created for an older demographic of children, earned the fourth honourable mention. ALTA Architectes Urbanistes developed Lycée La Providence, which scored 6.35, around a central atrium. The high school's main learning areas are located on the first floor while administrative and enrichment spaces like the library and sports facilities occupy the ground floor. The mostly white interior is livened by natural light through ample glazing.

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