Ordos 2525 Sablé dresses Zeus is Loose Hostel in copper hues ― 

Zeus is Loose Hostel, designed by Urban Soul Project, is the newest addition to the hospitality landscape in the center of Thessaloniki, Greece. A joint enterprise between architecture, branding, and sculpture, the new hostel takes a creative twist upon local history, completely transforming a formerly bleak and defunct office building at an exceptional location in the city center.

The design objective of Zeus is Loose answers three questions: Managing an existing office building of the 70’s on Aristotelous Square, in front of the historical monument of Panagia Chalkeon; accommodating the typical facilities of a youth hostel, and devising a branding concept unique to the hostel, introducing references to the top of Olympus, perceived residence of the ancient Greek gods, dominant over the view of the Thermaicos Gulf from the building terrace.

The facade openings were extended to the floor slabs, beams, and columns. The monument of Panagia Chalkeon, whose name evokes the timeless presence of coppersmith workshops in the area, led to the use of copper color in the facade of the building. The chosen powder coating color is Ordos 2525 Sablé, a burnished copper hue with a fine texture and metallic effect finish, belonging to AkzoNobel’s Futura Collection 2018-21: the color features prominently on the façade openings and in interior design elements, such as the vaulted bar, testifying to the location’s multilayered history and becoming the centerpiece of an entire copper-themed palette for the hostel rooms, ranging from pistachio-green to a rich, rusty red, on furniture, claddings and walls.

The interior layout gives prominence to the arrangement of the rooms, all equipped with bunk beds and their own bathrooms. Common areas are developed on the 6th and 7th floor. The 6th accommodates the common room and open kitchen, dining areas, playroom, and living rooms with sofas and steps on different levels for a better view of the space. The special carving of the vinyl floor in shades of gray emulates the elevation lines of the top of Olympus. The references to mythical figures are made through graphic representations, and three-dimensional sculptures. The building’s existing floors in terazzo featured tones of brick, ochre and green, which were preserved, and elaborated in the interior color and material palette, referencing the colors of Byzantine art.

The 7th and top floor of the building houses the “Nectar Distillery”, a bar open to the city, which -by design- works in addition to the rest of the building. Elements that have a direct reference to the mythology and to the location of the building are applied in the bar area.

The visual identity of Zeus is Loose was designed by the graphic designer Follow the Phantom and the sculptures by the sculptor Theo Franstanlis.

Design by: Urban Soul Project

Photos: Kimberley Powell

Colors:

Ordos D2525 Sablé / Code: YW387I

RAL 7024 Satin / Code: SL724JR

RAL 9016 Gloss / Code: FA616F

RAL 7010 Gloss / Code: SLJ10G