When Jo Nagasaka of Schemata Architects and Japanese hotel chain ninehours joined forces to modernize Tokyo’s Shibuya hotel, they did much more than paint the walls and upgrade the floors. They also chose to add saunas to the hotel and market the concept of ultimate relaxation on top of its affordable sleeping pods.

When the first capsule hotel opened in Osaka in 1979, it came off like every other novelty concept. Instead of conventional bedrooms, the hotel rented out individual enclosures that were lined up side-by-side. Guests had the option of renting them by the hour, by the night, or for even longer periods time. Although the idea proved to be a success and was eventually embraced by nations around the world, the 39-year-old Shibuya was in desperate need a makeover that would make the news and attract new guests.
Up to this point, ninehours had only constructed new hotels. This collaboration with Schemata Architects was their very first foray into renovations. Schemata also found the project challenging, doing their best to renovate in a way that would accurately reflect ninehours’ brand image while retaining the structure’s existing capsules.
Fresh Colors and Textures
The upgraded hotel is called °C (or Do-c) Ebisu ? a name taken from the “degrees Celsius” symbol. Instead of trying to build something from scratch, the hotel’s designers opted to build off of the old Shibuya hotel’s existing design, updating its interior col...