Metro Tourist Home by Blue Clay Architects

Project Brief: The clients had a requirement to cater to the demand for bed and  breakfast  kind  of accommodations  that  would  be beyond the existing standards in Calicut. With a site in the heart of the city, the client also wanted an architecture that would stay contemporary and inviting attention.
Location: Mavoor Road, Calicut
Team: Ar.Prasoon G Das, Ar. Arun Baby, Ar.Jasim,
Photography: Ar.Jishnu Sankar
Site Area: 1224 sqm
Built Up Area: 1112.2 sqm
Typology: G+4, Commercial(G), Hotel(4)

Design Intent: Calicut is expanding itself into the after dark hours, where the city is as lively as it is during the day. Responding to this shift, we decided that a creation in the core of the city, at Mavoor Road Junction, has to reflect the essence of its surrounding. The fast moving streaks of light, in red and yellow, is the abstract of new found city life.
We strongly believe that, with our intervention, we have been successful in giving Metro Tourist Home a new status in the city skyline.”

The essence of the new found city life abstracted  to  a  stand  still;  that  is  the expression that we have created.
An entry that takes the car inside the building was part of the initial requirements, as it seperates the drop off point from the busy road in-front. It would also help segregate the users who are visiting the shops from those who are coming to the hotel accomodation. All the spaces related to the services are accomodated in the ground floor to give four floors solely for hotel occupancy.


The site is within walking distance from the KSRTC Bus Stand, which is a major entry point to the city. Therefore the importance of the building as an imageable element in the city was realised as a major challenge
With the grid in place, variations of a typical plan was planned to have single, double and suite rooms with the characteristic strip windows in each room.
This theme of duality and representation of the city life in the design is also adopted to the interiors with subtle expressions using Onyx and fabrics with lighting fixtures. A view of the reception area and lobby
After the sun sets, the character of the building is transformed, almost similar to how the streets are changing. The facade turns vibrant and dynamic with the streaks of light taking over the facade character. A well thought idea that uses a simple move to give dual-character to a single building.