HOTEL KANRA Kyoto

HOTEL KANRA Kyoto is established under the mission that all guests KAN (meaning "to experience" in Japanese) the spirit of RA ("City of Kyoto") where the beauty, wisdom, and hospitality of Japan are embraced. As an efficient use of an underutilized real estate, a former educational facility which was closed due to the recent decrease in the number of children is converted into a hotel that houses 39 guest rooms, a café & shop, 2 restaurants, and a spa to satisfy the increasing demands for accommodations. Respecting the facility’s existing shell, guest rooms adopted Machiya-style: a traditional architectural style of Kyoto’s townhouses with a narrow frontage stretching deep into the lot. Holding "Heritage and Innovation" as its concept, this project utilized traditional materials and techniques, including showcasing a workshop of kintsugi masters, and simultaneously proposed new ways of their use in contemporary design. Together with immutably essential materials such as wood, soil, stone, and iron, the employment of Kyoto's artisanal techniques and authentic crafts constitutes a hotel space with Japanese subtleness that resonates with people's hearts. Offering opportunities to display artisanal works creates new communications which can lead to finding - or reminding - the values of Kyoto’s heritage.