The transformation of the long-vacant Pirelli building was conceived to address simultaneous cultural, economic and environmental goals:
• Save an iconic landmark in a way that fully respects its architectural legacy and design character. Meet rigorous historic preservation standards for a certified historic rehabilitation to allow financing with historic tax credits;
• Economical and efficient design to create a 165-room boutique hotel, restaurant and conference center addressing market needs, satisfying extensive Hilton brand-standards, and allowing for successful market-rate underwriting and financing by lenders and investors, while also creating economic opportunity for underserved community;
• An unbending commitment to environmental stewardship to create the first all-electric, first Passive House-certified and first LEED V4 Platinum-certified hotel in the United States.

Hotel Marcel sought to create a new model (where few others existed) for sustainable hospitality through electrification, zero operational carbon, deep energy efficiency and minimizing embodied carbon through adaptive re-use of an existing building.

Hotel Marcel challenges a culture where older buildings are treated as disposable and signals a change in the architectural preservation and hospitality paradigms toward uncompromising climate stewardship.

In demonstrating that market rate real estate development projects can be designed and built to meet Passive House standards, and operate without use of any fossil fuels, it was the firm’s objective to squarely address the existential climate challenge of our time. Hotel Marcel was conceived to provide a replicable model for how the making of buildings can respect cultural and economic objectives and while not contributing in any significant way to climate change.