Four former tannery buildings on the waterfront of Chania are converted into a 20-suite hotel, preserving their industrial character while introducing a restrained material language of stone, timber, metal and glass.

The Tanneries Hotel & Spa in Chania by Konstantina Smponia – Architecture & Design occupies four adjoining former industrial buildings in the historic Tabakaria district. Completed in 2021, the 2,500m² project transforms the heritage complex into a contemporary hotel while retaining the material and volumetric character of the original tanneries.

Rather than erasing the traces of the buildings’ former use, the intervention works with their existing masonry, proportions and relationship with the waterfront. The four volumes are read as a unified composition, while their different heights respond to the slope of the site and its direct connection with the sea.

 

Four industrial buildings on the waterfront

The complex belongs to Tabakaria, the former tannery district east of the centre of Chania, where industrial buildings developed directly along the shoreline.

The project retains the distinctive character of the four existing structures rather than replacing them with a new hotel volume. The south side remains relatively low and discreet towards the urban fabric, while the northern elevation develops over three levels as the site descends towards the sea.

This difference in section reinforces the dual condition of the project: more contained towards the city and increasingly open towards the waterfront.

The relationship between the two sides becomes part of the arrival sequence. From the urban entrance, large openings establish visual contact with the sea, connecting the street-facing side of the former industrial complex with the coastal landscape beyond.

 

Preserving an industrial character

The renovation is based on retaining key elements of the original buildings while adapting them to contemporary hospitality use.

The industrial identity remains visible through the existing façades, roof tiles and structural surfaces, together with the continued presence of stone, concrete, metal and timber. The intervention avoids introducing a decorative historical reconstruction and instead uses a restrained contemporary language around the surviving fabric.

The material palette responds directly to the character of the former tanneries. Natural stone provides weight and texture, timber introduces warmth, while metal and glass establish a more precise contemporary layer.

A limited range of beige, black and grey tones reinforces the continuity between the different areas and allows the roughness of the existing construction to remain clearly perceptible.

 

Twenty suites within the existing volumes

The four buildings accommodate 20 suites, organized within the dimensions and irregularities of the historic structures.

Rather than imposing a single repeated hotel-room module, the interiors respond to the different proportions of the existing volumes. The suites remain visually restrained, with natural materials and a predominantly monochrome palette allowing the relationship with the sea to remain central.

Large openings introduce natural light and frame waterfront views, while stone, timber and marble establish continuity between sleeping, living and bathing areas.

The bathrooms use marble extensively, reinforcing the contrast between the more robust industrial fabric and the smoother surfaces introduced for the new hospitality programme.

 

Permeability between city and sea

One of the main spatial qualities of the conversion is the gradual connection between the urban and maritime sides of the complex.

Views towards the water are maintained through large glazed openings, while circulation spaces allow the sea to remain present beyond the interior.

This transparency is repeated in communal areas, where glass and other translucent elements are used to balance openness with privacy. In the spa and fitness areas, glass blocks introduce diffuse light and partial visibility, creating a more protected atmosphere without completely separating these spaces from the rest of the hotel.

The architecture therefore uses different degrees of transparency rather than a strict division between enclosed interiors and the waterfront.

 

Shared spaces and wellness

The hotel programme extends beyond the guestrooms to include reception, restaurant, spa, fitness facilities and an indoor heated pool.

These spaces follow the same material approach as the suites, but each acquires specific details related to its function. The spa uses large openings towards the sea, while the restaurant occupies a more direct relationship with the waterfront.

The former industrial complex consequently operates as a sequence of different environments rather than as a uniform hotel interior.

Despite the diversity of uses, the limited palette and repeated material references create continuity across the project.

 

Adaptive reuse in Tabakaria

The Tanneries Hotel & Spa is ultimately defined by the decision to preserve the identity of four industrial buildings while adapting them to a substantially different programme.

Their stone construction, relationship with the shoreline and varied internal proportions remain visible, while contemporary interventions introduce the technical and functional requirements of a hotel without obscuring the original structures.

Konstantina Smponia uses material restraint and the relationship between the city and the sea to establish a new use for the former tanneries while retaining their industrial presence within Tabakaria.

 

The project was first published in print in ek282 | November 2023, in the CITY section.