Octatube at the Fletcher Hotel

Round windows are cut from the cylinder, graphic circles are applied to the inner layer, and small dots in circular patterns are applied to the outer glass layer. The multiple layers and types of circles deny a clear reading of the individual floors; instead of stacked floors we see a scaleless and patterned tube broken only by the lobby at the bottom and the restaurant and lounge at the top.

Octatube—a Dutch design, engineering and manufacturing company—worked with the architects to realize the outer glass skin but also its sructure and the inner layer, creating an integrated façade system. The round form requires curved glass, and Octatube complied by engineering bent laminated glass on the outer facade. Originally designed to hang on a traditional timber frame, Octatube reengineered the supports and inner façade with composite GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic) elements. "T"-shaped steel brackets mounted to the concrete structure point-support the outer glass wall.

The hotel rooms look out through round windows of the inner layer and the screenprinted dot pattern of the outer layer. Given the location of the hotel near the A2 highway, the double layer serves to mitigate the sound of traffic. The restaurant and lounge are defined by full-height glazing on both layers. The larger and denser pattern printed on the outer layer helps to cut down on direct sunlight, yet guests can still enjoy panoramic views—albeit filtered ones—from the top of the building.