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Architecture

23-09-2025

Photographer : Gopikrishnan Vijikumar, Studio f/8 (@studio.f8_)

Ingenuity, most folks assume, is chanced upon when one delves into the unknown head-first, and comes out the other side triumphant, a solution in hand. Under ordinary circumstances, this holds true. But Spektrum’s story reaps a different learning. Spearheaded by Principal Architect duo Kavin Prasanth and Sabari Vijayakumar, the practice’s take on the venue’s spatial rejuvenation leads one to an unconventional realisation. Fresh starts don’t necessarily mean blank slates, and that is where the genius of design is born!

Bangalore’s Kempegowda International Airport has long garnered a polarising reputation. The city’s traffic snarl has created a boom in the hospitality realm in and around the airport. How does a space command attention? “By standing out,” chimes Kavin. “Spektrum came to us at a stage that would make most studios rightfully nervous. The building’s architecture was complete, but our clients wanted to push the envelope and entrusted us with a rehaul. We were to contend with the site’s preexisting conditions while being cognizant of the significant financial investment the clients had already made” he reminisces.

The client's brief was to cater a young crowd and what better way to do this than with colour — the façade a perfect canvas. Spektrum employs a colour-blocked front elevation to announce its arrival amidst a landscape of run-of-the-mill properties.

They transformed the basic all-white rectangular elevation into an asymmetric portal, a rich, deep red colouring the void’s depth. A lattice of metal box sections extends beyond, creating the building's second skin over which terrace vines will cascade.

The bold employment of red gives way to a serene scene of neutrals in the reception. Kavin explains this shift with a fitting analogy, “We smell coffee beans between testing perfumes. This is to reset our senses, which in turn, helps us distinguish better. The choice of a neutral scheme for the reception follows the same principle."

Bangalore,Karnataka,India

Architects	:	Dot Bot Studio
Area	:	22,000 sq. ft.
Year of Completion	:	2024
Website	:	https://www.instagram.com/dotbot_studio/?hl=en

Exterior view of Hotel Spektrum by Dot Bot Studio

Entrance of Hotel Spektrum by Dot Bot Studio

Reception Area of Hotel Spektrum by Dot Bot Studio

Reception To Lounge area view of Hotel Spektrum by Dot Bot Studio

Suite Room of Hotel Spektrum by Dot Bot Studio

‘Celestial’, the hotel’s in-house restaurant, though minimal in its make, the space anchors an array of details. The inner edge of the restaurant anchors angular, culled-out niches, their outline mirroring the façade’s form lined with a sunny ochre tile variety, marking the debut of colour-blocking indoors. The crown jewel, though, is the bespoke light installation the team conceived and executed in situ.

When it came to the rooms, they designed three distinct room styles so guests could have a totally different experience each stay. When a retreat-like ambience, privacy, and a tryst with colour is on one’s mind, the suite rooms make for the perfect fit! The journey into the room begins at a private lounge housing a study nook, its modern and colour-steeped persona concocting a warm welcome. The rust-toned lounge wall serves as a focal feature, its flutes carrying onto the louvred sliding door that partitions it from the resting chamber.

Suite Room of Hotel Spektrum by Dot Bot Studio

Deluxe room of Hotel Spektrum by Dot Bot Studio

In the deluxe rooms, the design team introduces geometric interplay into the spatial experience. A series of slatted profiles in red frames the headboard, manifesting in an optical illusion of receding depth. Artwork by Artist Zahra Baldiwala of Studio Ruining Magazines complements the hotel’s saturated colour palette, underscoring its contemporary sensibility.

One design hack the team swears by is the tactful use of paint, the Architects explain: “With paint, the upkeep and renewal is an easy task. And it makes for a financially sustainable option, too. The spaces are chameleonic in nature; a change of coat completely transforms the room’s vibe in no time.”

Standard room of Hotel Spektrum by Dot Bot Studio

Hues assume a ribbon-like appearance in the standard rooms, their presence wrapping around the room’s edges like a striking swath of colour. Vertical profiles make a comeback in the form of the ribbed wainscoting, tying back into the dominant visual grammar of the accommodation units.

Standard room of Hotel Spektrum by Dot Bot Studio

Dining area of Hotel Spektrum by Dot Bot Studio

Terrace Lounge of Hotel Spektrum by Dot Bot Studio

And what if you crave sweeping city views and streamer-like contrails left by passing planes? You head to Spektrum’s terrace lounge. The fiery dash of tangerine in the outdoor furniture comes alive against the monochromatic greys.

A home away from home and a kaleidoscopic journey through colour, Spektrum is anchored in the quiet confidence that untapped potential reveals itself to those willing to look just a little deeper than what meets the eye.