open mind
hotel & leisure gästehaus rheinsberg

a hotel in german has been designed with physically disabled guest mind. the results are surprisingly stylish, says fay sweet the world’s first designer hotel for physically disabled guests has opened in germany. and as you’d expect from any designer hotel, the interiors are contemporary in style with elegant furnishings, fittings and lighting, there’s a chic restaurant and bar, and gorgeous pool and health spa - but there’s also the serious purpose of providing guest with a place where they can feel comfortable and assured of the best health care.

the €25.5m (£15.8m) new-build, contemporary style structure sits in a stunning landscape on the edge of a huge lake some 60km outside berlin and provides extensive spa sports and health treatment. the brainchild of designer yasmine mahmoudieh, the 110-room, four-star, gästehaus rheinsberg has been conceived to “lift the spirits” of its clientele.

a shortlist of eight design companies was drawn up by the hotel’s owner fürst von donnersmarck stiftung, and mahmoudieh design’s proposals caught the imagination of the selection committee. “my concept was straightforward… to create a hotel for disabled people that is not obviously designed for special needs,” says yasmine mahmoudieh.

“i wanted to create a positive, joyful environment that would distract people from their handicaps and lead them into a world of enjoyment and happiness. extensive research had shown that many disabled people wanted such a special place, because they were intimidated by regular hotels where they were the exceptions and did not feel comfortable.” mahmoudieh design, which has offices in berlin, london and barcelona, has worked on numerous hotel projects including the recent refurbishment of the arne jacobsen-designed sas radisson royal hotel in copenhagen.

the target clientele was wide ranging. “since the hotel is located by a beautiful lake it has a strong resort character which we confident would appeal to all groups,” says mahmoudieh. “we expected that people would travel alone or in family groups, that around one third would use wheelchairs with the remainder possibly having other disabilities such as poor sight. for everyone, it had to be place where they could relax for stay of around a week.”

mahmoudieh and her team drew on their extensive hotel design experience to work on the plans. “we tried to imagine what it might be like to visit a hotel as a disabled guest and identified the things which might be difficult or frustrating. at one point our discussions i moved around the office on an office chair trying to reach things, and made it clear to my team that we needed to think about every aspect of design, particularly for those in wheelchairs.” the entire hotel is wheelchair friendly, but one particularly thoughtful details can be found in the guest rooms where clothes rails are at al lower level for ease of use for those in wheelchair.

mahmoudieh continues: “as a general rule sharp corners had to be avoided and anything else that might be hostile to people with limited movement or sight. i used war and bright colours to help those with partial sight to distinguish between surfaces and we avoided any use of materials like stainless steel, which might be reminiscent of a hospital atmosphere.” new materials were researched and used, including an italian-made, supertough, scratch-resistant paint finish for wood, which has been used on cabinets and doors.

the guest rooms are simple, elegant and comfortable – most have a lake view. details include walls, sliding doors, inbuilt desks, wall-fixed bedside tables and tvs which are set into the wall – all features which prevent accidents and potential injury. “the lower part of the wall is protected by wooden bars instead of metal ones so this design melds with the overall use of wood in the room,“ says mahmoudieh.

“lighting is very important in all my projects, and here there is a lot of indirect lighting built into cabinets and along the walls. behind the bed, there is a light fixture which works whether there is a double or twin beds in the room. the bathroom has an open shower without a step and each room has an emergency call button.”

the colour scheme in the bedrooms is based on green, red and sand. red features again as a strong thematic colour in the restaurant, used for the upholstery and contrasting with the pale wood used to line the walls. wrapping around the entire restaurant is a dramatic, horizontal band of glowing indirect light. the bar is centrally located to be accessible from all sides and outside terraces take advantage of the stunning lakeside location. in addition to the generously sized public areas, the sports facilities are particularly impressive. there is a swimming pool with bar, sauna, steam room, a range of treatment rooms. the hotel also has a large, multifunctional indoor hall which can be uses for sports or concerts, conferences and weddings.

although its only been open a few months, the hotel has obviously been welcomed – it is almost always fully booked, and mahmoudieh design has been approached by a number of companies for talks about further hotels for disabled guests in other parts of the world. says mahmoudieh: “here is proof that there are no restrictions in the use of good design, it can and should be used for the benefit of everyone and that includes people with special needs.”