Pennod 12 04 Wal

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-In this programme,

-Hotel Unique in Sao Paulo...

-..The Hotel in Switzerland, which is

-influenced by European films...

-..but first, a cultural experience

-in Lloyd Hotel, Amsterdam.

-Welcome to 04Wal Gwestai'r Byd.

-Lloyd Hotel, in Amsterdam,

-was built in 1921.

-This Gothic-style building...

-..was a hostel for boat passengers

-who were on their way to America.

-It was a German prison

-during the War...

-..and it was later

-again used as a prison.

-The designers' challenge

-was to create a welcoming hotel...

-..for travellers

-and for the local community...

-..while scrubbing the building

-of its historical stains.

-You enter the hotel

-through a particularly small door...

-..considering

-the size of the building.

-There are several original features

-dating back to 1921.

-The wall and floor tiles

-are original...

-..as are the maritime scenes

-we see in the stained glass windows.

-They're linked to the company

-which built this building...

-..The Royal Dutch

-Lloyd Trading Company.

-The lobby also offers up clues

-to the building's new identity.

-The modern reception desk and

-the red sofas tell you it's a hotel.

-The table and chair are traditional,

-with a modern twist.

-You immediately sense

-something special awaits you.

-This is the heart of the hotel.

-It's a centre which appeals to

-local people and hotel guests alike.

-This hotel offers rooms

-ranging from one star to five stars.

-This is the only hotel in the world

-which does that.

-What's the difference

-between one star and five stars?

-The number of stars a room has

-is based on the room's creativity.

-Five star rooms

-are classed as Unforgettable.

-Four star rooms

-are classed as Exceptional.

-Three star rooms

-are classed as Remarkable.

-One and two star rooms

-are classed as Surprising.

-You instantly see

-this is a multifunction room.

-What's the point

-of those fishing rods?

-That's a Richard Hutten

-light feature.

-Hutten also created

-the pods of light in the windows.

-The hotel owners didn't appoint

-one interior designer.

-It's a collection of the work of

-young, exciting, Dutch designers.

-That wool and felt throw

-was designed by Claudy Jongstra.

-She also created

-the shutters on the windows.

-The feel of the rooms varies.

-The one star rooms are basic,

-with shared bathrooms.

-This more substantial,

-three star room...

-..includes the unique idea

-of putting a shower in a cupboard.

-Next, we'll see a five star room.

-Judging by this timber structure,

-I'd say we're in the roof space.

-Yes, which they used to hang this

-swing in the middle of the room.

-It's the main feature of the room.

-It brings the outdoors indoors,

-to create an experimental design.

-This room really has the wow factor.

-Yes, including

-the collection of furniture.

-Yes, it's very eclectic and the wood

-complements the roof structure.

-This Lithuanian, rattan furniture...

-..conveys the building's history

-as a centre for migrants.

-That 1920s chair is masculine and

-sturdy, like the building itself.

-There are a few modern items here.

-There are a few modern items here.

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-Yes - the bath and the lights.

-That lamp again

-was designed by Richard Hutten.

-Pools of light inject warmth...

-..and a lack of natural light

-creates a special atmosphere.

-This is room 222,

-the rock group room.

-It looks like a sauna

-and there's a good reason for that.

-This room is soundproofed...

-..so as not to disturb people

-in the public areas.

-This room hangs above

-that huge space.

-To my left is the compact

-and very bright green bathroom!

-It almost glows in the dark!

-What do bands do when they're not

-throwing tellies out of windows...

-..or driving cars

-into swimming pools?

-They sleep in the same bed!

-That must be the biggest bed

-I've ever seen.

-A bed fit for Snow White

-and the seven dwarfs!

-As we rock stars say,

-what happens on tour stays on tour!

-In addition to

-being a place to stay...

-..this building is also a cultural

-centre for the people of Amsterdam.

-It's known as the Cultural Embassy.

-There's something quite

-schizophrenic about this hotel.

-The exterior is strikingly sober but

-the interior is light and colourful.

-Yes, the ideas on display here

-are colourful.

-The emphasis here is on creativity.

-It's a world away

-from mass-produced designs.

-It's very experimental

-and its aim is to unite people.

-What they've created

-isn't to everyone's taste...

-..but maybe this is what we should

-aim to create in the 21st century.

-It's another new experience for us.

-This building was erected in 1907

-as part of the new Lucerne.

-It stands on a corner,

-facing a wonderful park.

-It was redesigned and opened

-as a hotel, in the year 2000...

-..offering guests

-the ultimate design experience.

-It's The Hotel, after all!

-From the outside, it looks like

-a square box of mirrors.

-You expect some sort of explanation

-as your cross the threshold...

-..but you don't get it.

-The design

-is deliberately confusing.

-Is it a mirror, a wall or a window?

-What's that room, below me?

-Can I see a room, above me?

-There's confusion here

-but there's also passion.

-Strong colours intrigue you,

-as you enter the hotel.

-Who's responsible for the design?

-Who's responsible for the design?

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-The architect, Jean Nouvel.

-He's one of the most famous

-architects in France.

-He's designed numerous buildings

-across Europe...

-..and two here, in Switzerland.

-Both buildings are in Lucerne -

-a concert hall and this hotel.

-What's the design concept?

-Nouvel was tired of chain hotels.

-He created a sensually modernist,

-yet comfortable space.

-He took hotel design to a new level

-and he's been ambitious here.

-In what way

-is it sensually modernist?

-It's almost a spiritual experience

-and it's highly stimulating.

-On the ceilings, he's displayed

-stills from 25 movies.

-He's also taken stills and

-put them on the walls in the bar.

-The first thing you notice

-is how long this bedroom is.

-Your eyes are also drawn to

-the picture on the ceiling.

-Yes, again Nouvel has taken

-his inspiration from a movie.

-He took a still from a movie

-and pasted it to the ceiling.

-He's done exactly this

-in each one of the bedrooms.

-He's used the colours in the picture

-for the accent colours in the rooms.

-The colour of the furniture

-makes this a unique design.

-It's a design which incorporates

-metres of stainless steel.

-The minimalist fittings...

-..don't detract from

-the main feature.

-The Bamboo Restaurant is, in fact,

-below ground level.

-The wine cellar behind me

-is beneath the lobby...

-..as you can see.

-This is a departure from

-the general design of the hotel.

-There are no movie stills here

-and it doesn't need them.

-This has an identity of its own,

-with red walls and Chinese script...

-..adding to the Bamboo name.

-A surprising amount of natural light

-reaches this underground restaurant.

-The angled mirrors

-magnify that natural light.

-Seeing two or three versions

-of passers-by...

-..enhances your experience.

-We've seen many well-designed

-corridors and this is no exception.

-It has an industrial feel

-and industrial acoustics.

-It amplifies the visual hit you get

-when you enter one of the rooms.

-None of the rooms feature Shrek

-or Crocodile Dundee.

-This is from Ai No Corrida,

-a 1970s Japanese film.

-The collection of films used

-is a detailed, aesthetic decision.

-They're films you'd see in theatres.

-The colours in the room

-are taken from the ceiling picture.

-The black and the red

-are there, above your head.

-Being in a room such as this

-is an intense experience.

-You couldn't and shouldn't

-live with this at home.

-Nouvel doesn't want you to paste a

-picture of Hedd Wyn on your ceiling!

-It isn't meant to be homely.

-This is a dramatic design whose

-success lies in its simplicity.

-Yes, simplicity and subtlety.

-It isn't heavy.

-It's an

-extraordinarily stylish design.

-I enjoy using colour and seeing

-the impact colour can have...

-..so I appreciate Nouvel's

-deep-rooted understanding of colour.

-It's a very clever use of colour.

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-We're in one of the wealthiest areas

-of Sao Paulo.

-A shopping centre

-was to be built here...

-..but the brief was changed

-and a luxury hotel was erected here.

-The result is this - Hotel Unique.

-Ruy Ohtake, the designer,

-is also unique.

-His mother is Brazilian

-and his father comes from Tokyo.

-Ruy Ohtake has designed

-over 200 buildings worldwide...

-..including the Brazilian Embassy

-in Tokyo.

-Ohtake is a former disciple

-of Oscar Niemeyer...

-..the architect who designed the

-government buildings in Brasilia...

-..the white, concrete city

-which lies north of Sao Paulo.

-Ruy Ohtake's architectural lineage

-couldn't be better.

-He was certainly

-the right choice of architect...

-..to design a striking building

-such as this.

-Few of the myriad of

-striking features of this hotel...

-..are more impressive than

-the shape of the building itself.

-It looks like a quarter of a melon,

-perched on high stilts.

-Those stilts support the roof

-and they create this space.

-They're almost like rooms,

-at both ends of the building.

-Brazilian architects

-are masters of concrete.

-The wall seems to naturally fold,

-like a sheet of paper.

-That's the real challenge.

-To create something elegant

-from such sturdy material.

-It's hard to convey

-how impressive this room really is.

-I'm sure those doors are bigger than

-the ones at Caernarfon Castle.

-I often mention the element

-of bringing the outdoors indoors.

-Here, we see

-the fabric of the building.

-The timber roof flows into the

-building, above these smooth walls.

-Everything in the room

-highlights the ceiling height.

-The furniture is very low.

-Here, at the foot of the curve

-we saw earlier...

-..you can look up

-and see all the floors.

-That's a glass ceiling.

-It's like

-being below a swimming pool.

-What do you make of it?

-The structure certainly lives up to

-the hotel's name - it's unique.

-The turquoise and

-the oxidised copper are unique...

-..and so is the shape

-of the structure itself.

-The owner commissioned Ruy Ohtake

-to create this hotel.

-He's famous for creating buildings

-which look like sculptures.

-This building certainly graces

-the landscape here, in Sao Paulo.

-Two architects

-worked on this project.

-Yes. Joao Armentano

-was the interior designer.

-The interior

-doesn't compete with the exterior.

-Armentano respected the structure...

-..and he added value to the lines

-in the roof and on the facade.

-Geometric chairs follow the pattern

-set by the geometric exterior.

-This is the Rodeo Drive Suite.

-The shape of the floor tells you

-which part of the building this is.

-We're at the far tip

-of one of the floors.

-It's one thing to design a hotel

-shaped like a quarter of a melon...

-..but it's another to incorporate

-that form within a room like this.

-In this room, the wooden floor

-stretches from door to ceiling!

-They then had the nerve

-to hang a television on it!

-It's a clever way to use

-this restricted, problematic space.

-Over here, the curved shape

-is echoed in the tables.

-These wonderful lights

-have no switches.

-You adjust the light by running

-your fingers along the cable.

-The light is reflected

-in this plastic disc.

-There's more to this suite

-than this room.

-The bedroom shares several

-common features with the lounge.

-The wooden floor

-and the window, for example.

-Behind me here is the bathroom.

-You want to soak in the bath and

-watch television at the same time?

-No problem - simply open the hatch.

-It's a real pain, but you can't

-see the screen from the shower.

-Comme ci, comme ca,

-as we say in Pontrhydyfen!

-You can't have everything!

-This is the Presidential Suite.

-Whatever presidents do,

-they clearly need a lot of space!

-There are three round windows

-in this enormous room.

-Yes, and several rooms

-lead off this lounge area.

-There's a dining area there

-and there are a few bedrooms, too.

-It comes with a private terrace

-and a swimming pool.

-These subdued colours

-are almost transparent.

-The pictures on the walls inject

-life and colour into the room.

-They enhance the design.

-When we reach the seventh floor,

-which is the top floor...

-..we see why this was built here.

-Yes, the view

-makes this really special.

-The Skye Bar

-doubles up as a restaurant.

-There's also a roof terrace

-and swimming pool up here.

-The view is stunning.

-The restaurant

-is open to the public.

-That's very democratic.

-Yes, and as you can see

-from the layout, it's a busy area.

-There isn't much space

-between the chairs.

-You compromise on privacy

-but you gain a breathtaking view.

-All the elements are here.

-I can see fire in the kitchen...

-..the sky above me...

-..and there's water here, too.

-Yes, there's a pool here and you

-see water as you leave the lift.

-You can see the reception desk.

-There's another pool

-on the roof terrace...

-..and the red mosaic tiles

-turn the pool red.

-The original concept here was

-to create a landmark for Sao Paulo.

-Yes, it's both a sculpture

-and a luxury hotel.

-This is an international benchmark

-in hotel design.

-I love the fact it feels like

-we're in a green bowl...

-..surrounded as we are

-by tall buildings.

-I've never experienced

-anything quite like it.

-Hotel Unique really is unique.

-Yes, it's certainly unique.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones