Mandarin Oriental, Paris, Daylight Study
During the concept design phase of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Paris, dpa were commissioned to undertake a daylight study including modelling the suns path over the hotel courtyard. The aim was to understand the daylight level in the hotel bar during day time operating hours. The Interior designer Jouin Manku’s concept for the bar used a very dark palate of materials to create a very intimate night time ambience. However the operator Mandarin Oriental had concerns about the day time experience for the customer being too dark and gloomy. The daylight study modelled the natural light levels within the bar throughout the year in both clear and overcast conditions. The results showed low levels of both direct and indirect daylight penetration to the bar. From this understanding the material tones were adapted to a lighter colour palate to allow the bar to be both dramatic at night yet not feel gloomy and dark during the daylight operational hours.