Victoria St Ho(s)tel, Windsor
2017 / WINDSOR, VIC

Kurokawa observed the extraordinary rate of change in cities, so he designed building systems to be metabolised by them – a tower of replaceable upgradeable consumable capsules, Nakagin Capsule Tower.

Thinking of the city as a giant digestive system is useful, but along with digestion things keep getting more and more complex – like stomach bacteria multiplying, morphing and interacting.

In this complexifying process we find ourselves in an interesting new context – emerging demographics of young people on the move are looking for temporary accommodation with the social aspects of a hostel but without the culture of excessive drinking, and the quality of a high-end hotel but without the opulent size. These people are young professionals, new generation backpackers and even young families from all over the world.

Victoria Street Ho(s)tel provides a range of accommodation types tailored specifically for this new market – massive dorms, medium share rooms, family rooms, singles and apartments, all fitted out in fresh, bespoke furnishings and crisp interiors.

Markets will only continue to complexify in response to changing and colliding social, demographic and economic variables – we need architects who have fingers on the pulse to stay on top of these rapid changes.