Slussen’s historic hotel welcomes a long-awaited sister

Slussen is a unique historic site in Stockholm, renowned for its role as a hub of travel and trade. Located above the metro station, the site enjoys an exceptional position in the city, with views stretching from the water to Gamla Stan. Now, with the addition of a new hotel alongside the historic Seamen’s Home and Hotel Franz, a cohesive trio is formed. Together, these buildings represent three generations, each with its own distinct personality, uniting to create a harmonious presence overlooking Slussen and the water.

The site poses several technical challenges, including the need for foundation work above the metro and proximity to a tunnel carved into a steep fault line. Additionally, the Seamen’s Home must remain unaltered in its design. To meet these challenges, the new hotel will feature a mass timber frame, acoustically insulated by vibration dampers placed in a raised floor structure between the metro’s ticket hall and the hotel’s restaurant.

The design adheres to the local development plan’s ambition to harmonize the building in terms of scale, volume, and materiality. In doing so, it heals the block, allowing the hotel to stand out as both striking and orienting within its context. Its facade confidently claims its place, while respectfully complementing the character-rich neighboring buildings. By lowering the front tower into an inviting bay window with a terrace, the design softens toward the square and water, creating a lively facade with dormers and a serrated pediment. The building fully embraces its remarkable location, offering terraces and balconies with stunning views on multiple levels.

The facades are rendered in light, earthy, and warm tones. The extension above the ticket hall features a patterned facade crafted from reclaimed tile and brick fragments, including repurposed ridge tiles cut into thin slates and integrated into the render. A finely wrought iron railing, a recurring motif, delicately crowns the building. On Mariagränd, the facades are richly detailed, particularly at the robust plinth level, designed to be appreciated in perspective and raking light. Tinted window niches, natural stone plinths, and post-treated render with texture rollers and profile moldings lend the building its unique character.