Tracing the Rolling Hilltops

Mbabane Hilton Garden Inn, Swaziland

By Paragon Group

Thanks to its striking swooping feature facade, the Mbabane Hilton Garden Inn in Eswatini, Swaziland, which was completed in April 2019, has already become a favourite background for many photoshoots – which essentially was the idea.

Designed specifically as an iconic building for Hilton’s entry into the Swaziland market, the main feature is the performance-rated facade design with undulating and varying sized windows, depending on the orientation. Paragon Group took as inspiration the rolling hillsides around the city, to create this mimicking shape.

“Mbabane is a really low-key city in terms of architectural ambition, and we designed a facade that is a reflection of the rolling hilltops landscape surrounding the city. This was perhaps a literal landscape-contextual reference, and it is satisfying to see the result,” says Henning Rasmuss, director at Paragon Group.

Situated against a hill to the south of the city centre, the building and its landscape deck provide unobstructed views across the valley towards the city. This prominent location, combined with the unique design of the building, gives the hotel a presence unique in the urban context of Mbabane.

This project has won the International Award at the 2019 SAPOA Awards and the best hotel development category at the annual Africa Property Investment (API) Awards 2019.

“The building is already a popular destination for Instagram-savvy Emaswati, and is the background image of choice in many posted selfies,” Rasmuss comments. “It has become a talking point, and is seen as a benchmark for what can be achieved in commercial architecture in this African capital city.”

Full thanks and acknowledgement are given to Paragon Group for the information and images provided.

Main image: The client wanted something that stood out, and thanks to the main feature, the performance-rated facade design with undulating and varying sized windows, it is definitely one that cannot be missed