Since autumn of last year, The Cloud One has opened its doors to guests in a prime downtown location. Designed by Düsseldorf architect Christoph Ingenhoven, this seven-storey building responds to its neighbours through its signature curved, almost perfectly circular glass façade—engaging in dialogue with Richard Meyer's adjacent commercial building and Bernhard Pfau's organically shaped Schauspielhaus. The design also establishes meaningful connections with Daniel Libeskind's nearby Kö-Bogen I and Ingenhoven's own Kö-Bogen II across the street. Like Kö-Bogen II, it features a living green façade, though here it's discretely tucked away within the inner courtyard.

Motel One's fifth property worldwide, this Munich-based hotel offers 157 rooms across seven floors. Every room features underfloor heating powered by 10 percent renewable energy. The hotel welcomes both leisure and business travellers, with dedicated "Cosy Cloud" rooms for solo guests. A striking wooden structure, visible through the transparent outer shell, forms the architectural bridge between interior and exterior spaces. The interior design reinforces the building's green philosophy through curved walls in the lounge and a dramatic moss installation on the top floor. Art installations by Cologne-based artist Olga Jakob—composed of layered paper—punctuate the public areas, creating striking interplays of light and shadow through carefully designed lighting. The showstoppers? The seventh-floor rooftop bar and wind-sheltered terrace, offering sweeping views across Gustav-Gründgens-Platz, the verdant Kö-Bogen II, and the radiant white Schauspielhaus, extending far beyond to the Grafenberg Forest. True to its name, the hotel regularly hosts "Sounds in the Cloud" DJ evenings here—getting guests that much closer to the clouds.

www.thecloudone.com

Photography:
The Cloud One

(Published in CUBE Düsseldorf 01|25)