“The central theme of the hotel is honest materials, solutions inspired by nature and local handicraft traditions,” say architects Volodymyr Nepiyvoda and Dmytro Bonesko (YOD Group). Located in the heart of the Bukovel ski resort in Ukraine, the architectural concept of the HAY Boutique Hotel grew out of admiration for the beautiful nature of the Carpathians. The name of the hotel is derived from the surrounding meadows.
The building offers a 360-degree view of the Carpathian landscape and each room overlooks a different part of the mountain slopes. The hotel with a cascaded façade is organically integrated into the landscape and resembles a slope. Trees, grass, strawberries and blackberries grow in planters with protruding balconies and terraces. The plants that adorn the building’s façade are planted in the same way as they would grow in a natural environment, with some communities growing at the foot of the hill, others on the slope, and the third at the top.
The hotel’s interior is designed with muted shades of colour and rich textures, set against the backdrop of the thermowood of the Thermory Drift range. Luxuriously wide cladding boards are used throughout the building – in hotel rooms, restaurants, spas and corridors, all designed with a minimalist approach to form. With a worn look and natural shades of colour, the thermo-spruce gives the hotel walls and ceilings a rustic look. The wood in the Drift series is first thermally modified and then painted, so that it acquires the look of driftwood.
Presenting Ukrainian culture in a modern way is even more important than before, now that the war has started. The mission of the architects of the building is to study, showcase and promote Ukrainian cultural traditions through their projects in order to help ensure their continuity and prosperity in the future. Contemporary interpretations of traditional crafts can also be found as decorative elements in this project – in the hotel lobby, restaurants and rooms.
The hotel’s interior is decorated with studio Morgental’s textiles bearing the national symbols of Ukraine, armchairs by Noom and lambswool rugs by Litvinenko Design. The unique tables in the rooms, with their massive oak tabletops attached to the anvil-shaped cast iron base, are a tribute to the local forging traditions. All these design elements together with the walls covered with thermowood form a harmonious whole.
