Ibis Budget Hotel
Ester Bruzkus Architekten’s Ibis Budget Hotel in Münster innovatively transforms budget hospitality with its vibrant design, blending playful geometry and expressive materials for a memorable, stylish guest experience.
The Ibis Budget Hotel in Münster, designed by Ester Bruzkus Architekten (EBA), reimagines budget hospitality through a vibrant and inventive design approach. Completed in 2024, the 646-square-meter hotel offers a playful and visually engaging environment that balances affordability with high-impact design.
The concept challenges the conventions of low-cost hospitality by turning limitations into opportunities. With exposed concrete ceilings and walls forming the backdrop, EBA integrated functional elements like HVAC and lighting as key design features, rather than concealing them. Ceiling-mounted round acoustical clouds and vertical-horizontally arranged linear lights contribute to the sculptural quality of the interior spaces.
Color and geometry take center stage. Circles and arches recur throughout the lobby, breakfast area, and guest rooms, providing cohesion and charm. A translucent sliding polycarbonate screen defines the spatial boundary between the reception and the breakfast zone, while also allowing light to penetrate deep into the plan. Built-in elements – such as a terraced seating platform and a multifunctional cabinetry piece that doubles as buffet and divider—optimize space and functionality.
The material palette is diverse and expressive, combining terrazzo, integrally colored MDF, mirrors, spun-wood acoustical panels, and custom carpets. The color scheme, dominated by bold yellow accents, extends from public areas into the guest rooms, creating a visual continuity that is both dynamic and warm. Custom carpets printed with shadows of arched doorways add a whimsical, site-specific layer to the corridors.
EBA’s design proves that thoughtful, strategic interventions can elevate budget accommodations into memorable experiences. The hotel’s atmosphere is cheerful, efficient, and unmistakably stylish – making it a new standard-bearer for creative hospitality design on a budget.
Design: Ester Bruzkus Architekten
Design Team: Ester Bruzkus, Peter Greenberg, Stephanie Meine, Ana Knežević, Arianna Petrulli, Svenja Bechtel, Iwetta Ullnboom, Elisabeth Strump, Martina Durrant, Natalie Ziesemer, Ekaterina Miroshnichenko
Photography: courtesy of Ester Bruzkus Architekten
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