Moxy | Millbrae, CA

In Millbrae, the space between existing hotels, including The Westin, and the 101 freeway has long been left over rather than designed. Starwood sees that interstitial land as an opportunity: a Moxy hotel of 209 guest rooms that will revitalize the site and create a new place in the city, organized around courtyards and shared outdoor amenities.

The site's conditions drive the design. Facing the freeway, the building uses its scale to become a monumental billboard with a memorable image, and it lifts at the approach to create a powerful sense of arrival. The facade grows from the modularity of the hotel rooms and responds to view corridors: to the north it opens toward San Francisco and the courtyard, shifting from lower to upper levels in response to its neighbors, while to the south it rises above adjacent two-story buildings toward the Santa Cruz Mountains and the southern Bay. BDE Architecture is partnering with Starwood to carry these ideas into Type IA construction.

Once complete, the Moxy will deemphasize large expanses of parking and give visitors a more urban, walkable experience, helping define this new and expanding hospitality hub.

Address: 401 E Millbrae Ave, Millbrae. Ca, 94030

Client: Starwood

Number of Guest Rooms: 209

Construction Types: IA