Verdant greenery contrasts with the concrete benches and grey metal walls of a hotel in Medellín, Colombia, designed by Plan:b Arquitectos.

Plants native to the mountainous region around Medellín grow from planters built into the steel walls and hang from triangular metal baskets suspended from the ceiling in the lobby area.

Plan:b Arquitectos slightly sunk the ground floor of the hotel and made it open to the streets of the El Poblado neighbourhood. Pedestrians can use the open courtyard at its centre as a shortcut or a place to sit and enjoy the shade.

Large concrete planters in geometric shapes hold native plants and some double as wide benches.

A hotel cafe occupies one side of the courtyard, with folding glass doors that open so tables can spill out into the open air.

In the dark spaces underneath the heavy, black-steel hotel there are seating areas and a bar with high stools perched around a long bar that is rounded at one end.

Elements such as chutes and slides made of polished concrete were placed next to steps to add a playful element to the space.

Apart from the green of the plants, grey concrete and deep-grey steel forms the Hotel Click Clack Medellín's palette.

"There is a single colour dominating the entire building and its elements: the colour of the shadows," said Plan:b Arquitectos.

"In Medellín, the strong sun generates defined shadows all the time. The tones vary in intensity always keeping in a gradation of greys."

Plan:b Arquitectos said they designed the building to be an "epicentre" for local creatives to hold events.

"The building was thought of as a large heavy and perforated machine, resistant and friendly," said the studio. "It is designed so that the daily life of the city coexists with the activities of the hotel and its users."

Inside the hotel areas, dark grey corridors are dimly lit by strips of green lighting and the lamps denoting each room number.

There are 10 types of room, each one orientated to make the most of natural light, views over the city to the mountain, and breezes for those with balconies.

Interiors are contemporary in style, with quirky dark metal room dividers that double as wardrobes and hold the mini-fridge and room safe.

Bathrooms have toilets and showers in glossy black-tiled cubicles screened for privacy by smoked glass. Circular mirrors hang over podium-style sinks.

Around the beds, wooden headboards have grids of drilled holes in the style of pegboard, with leather pouches for items such as magazines hanging from them.

Built-in bedside tables feature niches for personal items such as phones. Pendant lampshades in the shape of camera lenses add another fun touch.

Starting on the ground floor, there a six floors of rooms and a penthouse suit on the seventh floor. At the sixth floor, outdoor terraces host a swimming pool, bar, and open-air cinema.

An external staircase surrounded by blue mesh zigzags up to an eight-floor terrace, open to the air and surrounded by plants.

Plan:b Arquitectos was founded in 2000 by Felipe and Federico Mesa and is based in Medellín.

Close by, The Somos Hotel also features a facade covered with dark steel and plants.

Photography is by Alejandro Arango and Carlos Vélez.

Project credits:

Architect: Plan:b arquitectos
Architects: Felipe Mesa, Federico Mesa
Project manager: Laura Kate Correa
Work team: Daniela Álvarez, Carlos Blanco, Esteban Hincapié, Sebastián González, Maria Clara Osorio, Cristian Camacho, Juliana Ramírez, Luis Miguel Bernal, Roberto González
Art direction and interior design: Click Clack Lab
Project managers: Juan Felipe Cruz, Tomas Beltrán
Work team: Andrés Nieto, Sergio Saavedra, Esther Ramos, Juan Carlos Duque, Lorena Klaus, Stephanie Bruno, Dominique Basil, Juanita Betancur, Andrés Martínez, Verónica Vásquez
Landscape design: Greenfield, Epífita
Structural design: Estrumetal
Construction: Coninsa Ramón H.
Client: The Click Clack Hotels, Click Clack Lab