Can Oliver – Nobis Hotel Palma
Can Oliver – Nobis Hotel Palma is a boutique hotel within a twelfth-century palace in Palma de Mallorca's old town. The transformation was developed by Wingårdhs in collaboration with Jordi Herrero of JHA Architecture Studio and Eduardo Garcia Acuna of EGA Arquitectura, revealing the building's many historical layers while adapting it for contemporary hospitality. Original arches, stone walls, courtyards and historic ceilings are carefully preserved and contrasted with contemporary interventions in steel, glass and bespoke interiors. The hotel comprises 37 rooms and suites, together with a restaurant, bar, spa, library, rooftop terrace and a sequence of interconnected indoor and outdoor spaces organised around two historic courtyards.
Layers of Time
For close to a thousand years, people have resided in these very rooms. Ceiling inscriptions in what is today the reception are dated to the 12th century; during a Gothic renovation in the 13th century the arches were added, and two hundred years later the house was dressed in a Baroque style.
Seven years ago, Nobis, in collaboration with Wingårdhs, began bringing the long-dormant building back to life. Now Nobis Hotel Palma stands ready — completely transformed, yet perhaps more authentic than ever.
"When we visited the building for the first time in 2016, it was admittedly very run down and had been empty for many years, but I immediately realized that this was the project and challenge of a lifetime," says Helena Toresson, architect at Wingårdhs.
The renovation was demanding. Every stone in the courtyards was lifted and placed back. Layers of plaster were peeled off and analysed, and the history of the building slowly emerged — vaulted arches, underground passages.
The architectural approach has been to let all the layers of the building come to the fore and to make the new additions clear and sharp — an ambition developed together with Jordi Herrero of JHA Architecture Studio and Eduardo Garcia Acuna of EGA Arquitectura.
Some unorthodox solutions follow from the building itself: the reception and lobby are partially outdoors, and a sequence of two open courtyards takes the visitor from the entrance gate into the restaurant, bar and sun terrace. Outside and inside intertwine into a whole.
"We tried to balance the power of the building and its raw material palette with Nobis' desire for intimate, friendly rooms and environments."
— Helena Toresson
The grand lounge bar
While the hotel rooms exude a tranquil expression, the public areas hold more energy. The grand lounge bar is the heart of the hotel. Its walls reveal the archaeologists' exploratory work, with an exposed border between plaster and stone.
In the middle of the room, beneath a ceiling nine metres high, a gigantic lamp designed for the project floats; a mirrored bar and sweeping draperies frame the space. The furniture is plush and the rugs' pile is high.
Guests can also find a library, a small gym and spa, a sun terrace planted with Mediterranean greenery, and a roof terrace overlooking the Cathedral of La Seu.
