Tucked away in north-central Mexico is Queretaro, a quaint city with several Spanish colonial edifices. Hotel Hercules sits within a mansion, previously a 200-year-old textile factory called El Hercules. Named after the statue of Hercules brought in by its former owner, the establishment allows visitors to immerse themselves in this rich heritage setting.

Factory workers of El Hercules forged the neighbourhood surrounding it in its initial years. When the factory’s operations were reduced after 165 years, a part of it was turned into a brewery that restored the community’s spirit, so to speak. The opening of this hotel within its famed grounds marks a new season for the economy and people of Queretaro.

The design of Hotel Hércules is a great example of the recovery of space within an industrial context that has been evolving over a decade. The project's premise is to respect and rescue existing spaces, through subtle, dynamic interventions that adapt to the pre-existing structure. Carried out by Gonzalez Muchow Architecture or GOMA, a Mexican architecture firm, the adaptive reuse project respects the original structure and appearance of the old textile factory. Summarising the brief, the team at GOMA says, "The hotel was an immediate response to demand, as the Hercules Brewery needed to house the guests that came to visit. The challenge was to fit the whole program within the walls of a 19^th century building, without taking away its identity, through subtle interventions that cherished the pre-existing architecture. It was a project that involved a multidisciplinary team and took us about three years to complete.”

Minor adjustments within the large volume cater to the current program’s necessities. Expanding on this concept, the Mexican architects at GOMA tell STIR, "From our point of view, the most sustainable building is the one that lasts the longest. In our case, we felt the responsibility to give a second chance in time to the existing building that we have encountered. We always try to integrate architecture into the landscape, whether natural or urban.”

This philosophy is evident in the hotel’s design, right from the semi-open central pavilion, surrounded by vegetation and water elements. Serving as a first filter, this open expanse invites the visitor to pursue disconnection from the outside world. “We think that the luxury that Mexican architecture has is the relationship with the outdoor spaces. The hotel is meant to be a shelter that invites guests to experience and live among industrial and natural environments,” the team at GOMA says of the project’s ties to its Mexican roots. They would then be led past the simple, rustic reception to the property’s 40 rooms, once home to factory workers. Facilities also include a social club, restaurants and swimming pools. The outdoor spa is a unique asset with spaces for rest and contemplation. A bar, the Cervecería Hércules, its kitchen and service spaces work around the manufacturing machinery that has been left in place.

The interior design of the hotel is reminiscent of a carefully conceived set, where the background feels almost real but not quite. With classic wooden furniture inserted into a shell of artistically weathered walls, historic details wed linear sophistication at every turn. Colour is prudently used, with pale pastel walls that meet the contemporary standard, at the most. With vast areas of space consciously left to seem unfinished, the property boasts an ethereal quality. Sitting in one of the bedrooms, one can be led to imagine that the air outside is still and the rumbling of the city non-existent.

One of the main intentions of the project is the recovery of space through the harmonious and subtle integration of the existing building with new elements necessary for its future use. A large part of the brief is essentially to commemorate the history that has passed in the building while still enjoying the space through a different program. An added level of complexity was the intention to generate spaces that allow introspection, comfort and rest, a requirement for the various restorative and well-being treatments offered by their spa.

The design of the project is a proposal to enter the natural atmosphere of the famed factory, inviting the user to create an experience of renewal and relaxation. Its walls speak of history and time, but the structure now lives in the present through the contemporary volumes finished in pigmented concrete and flattened lime that reflect the timelessness of its built environment.