Snowfall at the Berkeley

Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners is an international architectural practice based in London. Over the past four decades, RSHP has attracted critical acclaim and awards for projects across Europe, the Americas, Asia and Australia.

On 28 November 2017, RSHP unveiled ‘Snowfall at the Berkeley’, part of an ongoing collaboration with The Berkeley, part of Maybourne Hotel Group in Knightsbridge.

The specially-commissioned installation evokes a fairytale snow scene to welcome guests and enchant passers-by. It consists of 137,000 lights hanging from the hinges of the carbon fibre beams installed as part of RSHP’s new entrance created in 2016. The lights refract off the honeycomb glass of the entrance canopy, giving an impression of endless falling snow.

This is the latest design in a sequence of projects by RSHP for The Berkeley, including; the complete redesign of the hotel’s façade, an extension to the hotel’s new ballroom and the addition of elegant terraces to a series of new suites.

RSHP Associate Partner Stephen Spence said; “…the installation evokes an intense snow storm as guests enter and leave the hotel, highlighting the sensation of warmth and cosiness inside. The lights are placed as low as possible so that they can almost be touched, as if the snow was bearing down. This creates a magical and memorable experience, enhanced by the sparkle of the reflections above.”

Knut Wylde, General Manager of the Berkeley said; “We are delighted to have collaborated with RSHP this Christmas to bring a sense of dramatic illumination to our entrance and provide guests with an exciting sense of arrival in keeping with our innovative spirit at The Berkeley.”

See more images on RSHP's website.

--RSHP