When we incorporate existing architecture into a new project, we preserve a slice of local history, culture, and character while eliminating a whole lot of construction waste in the process. Even a structure that seems to serve a hyper-specific purpose like a supermarket, factory, or water tower can be converted for a completely different sort of use.

The cabins are arranged in a ring shape, all facing an inner courtyard, to create a buffer between the hotel and the residences that surround it. In the center stands a cedar-clad spa building with a sauna, hot tub, saltwater soaking pools, and cold-plunge pools. Its layout echoes that of the larger site, with smaller volumes surrounding a pool set beneath an open skylight. Details throughout the Society Hotel Bingen pay tribute to the original building’s purpose, including long wooden tables illuminated by library lamps, natural slate chalkboards, schoolhouse radiators, and a lounge lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.

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