Normal: Nikbor Hostel

Normal Estudio designed an hostel and student residence inside a stately building overlooking the Jardinets de Gracia, at the top of Paseo de Gracia.

This hostel and student residence hall occupies the third, fourth and fifth floors of a stately building overlooking the Jardinets de Gracia, at the top of Paseo de Gracia.

Its location, which could almost be considered elitist, is juxtaposed with a business philosophy geared toward a young, independent target audience looking to make each experience unique.

This contrast between the stately, classical building and the new, contemporary ideas is the foundation of the interior design for this project. Fresh and original were the words most often repeated in the client’s briefing, and that is what the architects have sought out with resources like a mix of tiles, the reception area filled with telephones and finding contemporary formats to express classical ideas.

The more than 105 sqm of common areas are distributed as follows: reception, cold kitchen, vending area, buffet, dining and multipurpose room, computer area.

In the reception area the original tile flooring has been preserved and the design on the tiles served as a grid to place the reception desk and a customized piece of furniture for luggage and office materials. The design of this space focused on the idea of reception as the element that transmits the hotel’s
message and sought out a strong image for this element. This is done through the white-lacquered phones and the suggestive shape of the reception desk that, together with the tile floors, gives it a fresh image.

The cold kitchen is designed so guests, in addition to enjoying the buffet, can cook for themselves. In this area the space is designed as an independent box, which can one day be enclosed with a glass wall and be used as a hot kitchen if necessary.

The tiles, with their colorful, retro design, contrast with the clean lines and clarity of the pine furniture.

The flooring used in the rest of the common areas is a mix of different models, arranged in a quadrant, with a wood frame around the perimeter. The dining room, which can be used for a variety of activities, and a small bar area are laid out on this flooring. The bar is pile of pine planks. The lighting in this area serves the dual function of illuminating events and creating a more intimate, warmer setting for the dining room.

The computer room has been turned into a box lined with natural pine and is lit with LED strips around the perimeter.

In the 42 rooms, the architects have simply unified the design and added some extra touches. All of them now have natural pine furniture and hanging light bulbs like those in the dining room. In the hallways, these small touches remind us that in addition to being a hostel, Nikbor is also a student residence hall.

Nikbor Hostel-Student Residence, Paseo de Gracia, Barcelona
Program: hostel, student residence hall
Architects: Normal Estudio
Completion: 2013

For a new ecology of living

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Normal: Nikbor Hostel

Normal Estudio designed an hostel and student residence inside a stately building overlooking the Jardinets de Gracia, at the top of Paseo de Gracia.

This system turns the outdoors into a custom experience

For a new ecology of living

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