London-based ReardonSmith Architects has completed the Pik Palace hotel, part of the Shahdag Mountain Resort, in Azerbaijan’s Greater Caucasus mountain range.
Photo courtesy of Paul Steele and Cindy Vriend – baldhiker.com
Pik Palace Shahdag is one of two hotels designed by ReardonSmith for resort’s main plaza, which will also be bordered by chalets, ski facilities, retail boutiques, restaurants, and bars.
Photo courtesy of Paul Steele and Cindy Vriend – baldhiker.com
Inspired by the grand mountain hotels of the Swiss Alps, the hotel will be covered in local limestone, and the zinc-clad roof’s diamond-format tiles will develop a rich patina with time.
The building’s central area is the 7,534-square-foot ballroom. Carved into the mountainside on the south, it is consequently column-free and opens out on the north elevation to a large terrace. Pik Palace also boasts several epicurean hotspots, from the fine dining of Alpina Brasserie & Wine Bar, to the cosmopolitan Asian design of the Fujisan Restaurant and Bar, and the casual comfort of Chocolat patisserie and café.
“The vision for Shahdag is bold and exciting, and we are looking forward to the imminent opening of our second hotel there,” says Conrad Smith, managing director of ReardonSmith. “Pik Palace is a huge hotel designed for numerous activities all the time-from large events of national significance to luxury weekend breaks for independent travelers. So, behind the opulence of the interiors is a building rigorously planned to be operationally very efficient.”
