Silver Hospitality, Recreation, Travel and Tourism Design · 2025
Sosei Sapporo M Gallery Hotel
- A' Design Award 2025 Silver Winner in Hospitality, Recreation, Travel and Tourism Design
- Awarded April 15, 2025
- CLIENT: Accor S.A.
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 68,746
- Verification code 2D3B5EF3E8 · Verify this award
About Sosei Sapporo M Gallery Hotel
The main theme of the design is frontier spirit, a pioneer for the development of Sapporo, and the brewmasters, an important figure in the brewing of beer and one of the businesses of the pioneers. The two are set as the characters within the story of the design to create a subliminal atmosphere of the passion and exuberance of those days, and the artistic chaos of modernization, where Japanese and Western influences, past and future, are mixed together. The design aims to be a new base connecting Sapporo's past and future and to contribute to the further development of the region.
DESIGN STUDIO CROW CO., LTD's Sosei Sapporo M Gallery Hotel dining environment exemplifies a distinctive approach to contemporary hospitality design that thoughtfully engages with historical architectural vocabularies while maintaining firmly modern sensibilities and comfort expectations. The pointed Gothic arches, rendered here not in stone but in smooth contemporary plaster and delineated by integrated lighting technology, transform traditional ecclesiastical and medieval architectural language into a secular vocabulary of warmth, welcome, and elevated dining experience. This translation of historical forms demonstrates how heritage architectural motifs can be recontextualized to evoke atmosphere and emotional resonance without literal historical reconstruction, creating instead a space that feels simultaneously timeless and thoroughly contemporary. The material palette reveals careful consideration of tactile and visual experience, with the cool smoothness of plaster surfaces balanced against warm leather, the organic softness of dried botanical elements, and the refined precision of lacquered table surfaces. Chromatic choices establish a sophisticated hierarchy wherein the neutral architectural envelope provides serene backdrop while carefully placed color accents in teal, burgundy, and gold create focal moments and spatial rhythm. The inclusion of traditional ceramics in celadon tones suggests engagement with broader design traditions, potentially referencing heritage craft while serving contemporary function. Lighting design emerges as particularly accomplished, with the integrated architectural illumination creating dramatic structural emphasis while maintaining comfortable ambient levels appropriate for intimate dining. The spatial organization demonstrates understanding of hospitality choreography, creating distinct zones for different dining experiences while maintaining visual connection throughout. Service areas integrate seamlessly, their functional requirements addressed with equal aesthetic attention. Viewers might contemplate how this interior mediates between the contemplative qualities traditionally associated with Gothic sacred spaces and the convivial, social nature of contemporary restaurant culture, considering how architectural atmosphere shapes our experience of gathering and nourishment.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The main theme of the project is Frontier Spirit, the pioneers which formed the development of Sapporo, and the Braumeister, a key figure in the brewing of beer which is also one of the business activities of the pioneers. A subliminal environment with the passion and exuberance of those times and the influence of modernisation, and the artistic chaos of mixing the Japanese and the Western, the past and the future are plotted within the space.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- GFA 3,628.940sqm / total area 14,002.097sqm
1F public area (besides restaurant and bar) 414.2 sqm
1F restaurant area 243.4 sqm
1F bar lounge area 118 sqm
Room counts and total area: 118 Rooms / 3511.1 sqm
Superior double 29 sqm x 48 keys / deluxe twin 39 sqm x 68 keys / hanamasu suite 58 sqm x 2 keys
Total area of guestroom public area 1087.5 sqm - Tags
- Contemporary, artful, feminine, passionate, bespoke, curation, unique, mixture, authenticity, textural, comfort
- Production Technology
- In the interior design, the project blends old Japanese architectural techniques with elegant Western building materials, following the residential spaces of the pioneer settlers of the time, and reconstructs them. In addition, as explained above, the rich nature of Hokkaido, which was essential to the various industries of the time, including the barley and hops used to make beer, is used as an icon in the products, color schemes and artwork throughout, creating a new interpretation of the environment.
- Design Challenge
- The main challenge was to to realize the light wall made from approximately 3,000 beer bottles. The design of the main dining room was inspired by the passion and process of a young Japanese man who travelled to Germany to learn about brewing beer. The space is a series of arches inspired by a brewery, with this lighting wall. It aims to create a dining space where people can spend timeless moments. It took a lot of effort and cost to obtain the required number of beer bottles and to illuminate them with LEDs.
- Project Duration
- This project started in Sapporo on November 2023 and was completed in Sapporo in February 2024.
- Operation Flow
- Upon entering the entrance, guests are greeted by an art piece influenced by one of the primary ingredients of beer such as hops, as it graciously symbolizes the beginning of the story.
In the lobby space, old Japanese architectural techniques with elegant Western building materials are meticulously blended, and the buildings of historical village of Hokkaido are extracted and reconstructed to become a modern design.
The lobby is also surrounded by a collection of books that showcase the charms of the region, and a collection of imported goods brought in from overseas by the pioneers evoking scenes from social gatherings of the time.
A fireplace with a unique form reminiscent of a beer brewing kiln anchors the authentic bar lounge - the space is furnished with seating and beer cellars to offer a cozy living room feel. Surrounded by various artful design elements, the space brings comfort in an artistic setting. The Superior, Deluxe, and Suite guest rooms are designed to resemble a scene from a pioneers’ residence. In addition to the unique design that elegantly mixes Japanese and Western styles, the techniques, forms, and textiles used in the pioneer’s buildings and interiors have been converted into modern products to enhance the guests' sense of excitement and offer true comfort. - Research
- About the Kaitakushi, Pioneers
We have visited "Hokkaido Kaitakushi no Mura - Hokkaido Development Village" to see all buildings built in Hokkaido from the Meiji to the Showa period, and learned how Western culture was incorporated into Japanese architecture.
History of beer production
From the book '120 Years of Sapporo Beer', we learned about the origins and beginnings of Japanese beer brewing in Sapporo, Hokkaido, and the process and struggles that led to the beer we know today.
About beer
At the Kaitakushi Beer Brewery, visitors learnt about how Sapporo beer is actually made and what tools are used. - Inspiration
- Hokkaido was an undeveloped area until the early Meiji period when the pioneers - Kaitakushi (Hokkaido Development Office) was established in Sapporo. This establishment invited foreign advisors to gather the wisdom of the world which led to the island to become rapidly civilized. During this time, an American chemical engineer employed by the pioneers discovered wild hops during a geological survey of Hokkaido and this discovery developed into the current beer industry as we know today.
This first five star boutique hotel is planned on the site of the current Sapporo factory, which is also the site of the first full-scale beer brewery in Japan. The hotel aims to be a new base that connects Sapporo's past with its future, and to become an entity that leads to the further development of the region. - Image Credits
- Photography / Nacasa & Partners Inc.
- Patents
- © 2024 DESIGN STUDIO CROW ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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