The So hotel is located at the Emerige Morland Mixité Capitale site. RDAI designed the hotel's lobby, spa, business center, circulations corridors, 140 standard rooms and 22 suites from the 7th-14th floors, offering exceptional views of Paris.

RDAI sought to integrate both the history of the 1955 Prefecture building and the new Morland Mixité Capitale architecture. The urban redevelopment project is environmental step forward, transforming an existing office programme building into a hotel by reusing the architectural infra-structure and maintaining the façade format.

This lobby entrance honors its setting on the Paris riverside, with details anchoring the décor in classic Parisian architecture. Every line and curve is intentional, coming together to create a world that is familiar yet novel. Bedecked with concentric rings that evoke rippling water on a calm surface, the front door recalls the decorative metalwork of certain Parisian buildings.

Entering the lobby a very mineral aesthetic is revealed, with rich ‘peacock tail’ pattern marble flooring. One has an immediate sense of place like a futuristic temple; a daring passageway of soaring tulip like columns. Lateral walls running the length of the lobby feature, staggered panels of amber glass opening the interior volume to infinity. The terrazzo bases of these walls mark the record flood level of the Seine River. The lobby rear wall draws the visitor in as it comes alive with swirling contour lines, imitating the topography of the former Île Louviers on which the site is located. The character of the lobby is strong, welcoming clients arriving at the hotel, it is also a multi-functional space, designed so that all the furniture can be removed and create an event space as required.

The dialogue with the river, playing with circle figures and waves continues throughout the project into the circulation corridors and rooms.

The hotel rooms embody understated elegance. Open the door into a deliberately somber cognac, coffee toned corridor, and a dazzling panoramic vista appears as one discovers an urban landscape framed by oversized windows.

Inspired by the vibration and varying hues of light of the city, the colour palettes include: blues of the river and the zinc rooves, brick evoking the Parisian buildings and yellow from the city lights at night. The colorful, bright, and warm rooms combine wood, marble, ceramic, and shimmering textile, with a touch of nomadism introduced with customed leather accessories.

The ‘Codage’ spa, continues this natural materiality and colour, with terracotta and forest green mosaics, lacquer finishes and wooden detailing, complimented by soft cloud like lighting details.

The business center is a wildly fun and playful space, and entirely flexible, to configure intimate meeting rooms or larger open rooms. The intense colour palette echoes the terracottas, blues and yellows from the lobby and guest rooms.

The entire hotel is a harmonious experience for the guest.