The new Society Hotel in Bingen, Washington confronts conflicting contextual drivers, responding with a singular and iconic organization.

Located along the scenic Columbia River, the project's site is near the waterfront, yet separated from it by a series of industrial facilities. In addition, it is in a residential area, requiring a sensitivity to the scale and privacy of its neighbors. Attempting to maximize the relationship of the hotel to its natural context, while mitigating the industrial aspects of its surroundings, our concept became one of "Edited Panorama," using the massing of the new hotel to produce a series of distinct outward views.

While the project involves an adaptive reuse of an existing school, the primary site of the design intervention is a ring of cabins, sharing a single roof, defining a courtyard, through which the town and landscape become framed. Within this ring, a community building provides additional shared spa amenities for the hotel's visitors. Defined by four large piers, this central structure offers four key perspectives out through the courtyard and ring.