The work examines a vacant hotel in Halle that has been awaiting demolition since 2022. The project is divided into three parts: a film documentation, an analysis of the building’s immaterial and material value, and the development of a design for interim use.

A particularly formative aspect of the project was the exchange with a building technician who has maintained the hotel for 47 years. His knowledge represents the hotel’s intangible heritage, documented through an interview transcription. Equally significant is the building’s material heritage. To better understand the environmental impact of its planned demolition, the grey energy embedded in the structure was calculated. The assessment demonstrates that preserving the building’s structure is imperative for ecological reasons. This analysis also provides deeper insights into the building’s construction and furnishings, revealing opportunities for reactivation or adaptive reuse.

What will be lost if the former Interhotel is demolished? Can waiting be considered an active state? How can the waking dream transform into a tangible encounter? Do hotels truly embody the spirit of collective living? Hotel Interim explores these questions, seeking pathways to repurpose the vacant space for interim use — perhaps even as a means to prevent its demolition.

For the interview click here or take a deeper look at the building material analysis here