One-room hotel opens in London for one year

Perhaps the U.K.’s most exclusive hotel, A Room for London is a one-bedroom temporary ‘pop-up’ hotel perched on the very edge of the Queen Elizabeth hall at the Southbank Centre overlooking the Thames.

Shaped like a boat, it looks as though the vessel has been left beached on top of the building by retreating flood waters. Able to accommodate only one set of visitors at a time, this architectural experiment is already booked solid through until June 2012.

The installation is the brainchild of David Kohn Architects and artist Fiona Banner, and is part of the Living Architecture project, which endeavors to teach people about contemporary architecture by having them reside within the unique structures.

The boat will remain beached atop the Southbank Centre throughout 2012, with bookings for July through December 2012 starting on January 19. In future years, the architects plan to perch the vessel atop other buildings in the country’s capital.