معماری

We’ve been regular in showcasing some of the most eco-fantastic inventions and architecture in the recent past. Be it conceptual or under construction, these buildings did wonderfully well in making sure that our future generations live in skyscrapers that would be self-sufficient and carbon neutral. Staying in green houses is something we all want, but some designers took their designing skills another step forward by designing some luxuriously green hotels, which can change the way we stay when outdoors. Here is a list of 10 such hotels and designs that do add a touch of green in the hospitality industry:

• Bardessono Hotel, California:

Fitted with rooftop solar panels and various recycled materials used in its construction, Bardessono is being referred to as the “Greenest luxury hotel in America.” The project involves flat solar panels, water conservation systems, salvaged and locally grown walnut flooring and recycled construction materials. The linen provided to the guests is all organic and the hotel is kept clean using organic cleaning materials. Organic waste is composted on site using a composting system, and efforts have been integrated to minimize solar waste.
Read More

• Jumbo Hostel, Stockholm:

The Jumbo Hostel is a luxurious hotel designed by refurbishing an old Boeing 747 jumbo jet. The aircraft hotel carries 25-rooms where each room covers an area of 65 square feet and is furnished with bunk beds. The rooms also feature overhead luggage storage similar to the ones you get in your routine flights, and flat-screen TVs. The fully functional hotel also has a reception area and café. Toilets and showers are at the rear of the aircraft. The most important part of an aircraft, the cockpit, has been transformed into a wedding suite.
Read More

• Gaia Anderson Hotel, San Francisco:

This tranquil and beautiful hotel is located at a two-hour drive from San Francisco, and if you happen to reside anywhere in the Bay Area or even San Jose, I suggest you go down and give it a try. You will not be disappointed with the solar-powered facilities, the recycling options available and the way energy and water are conserved to the best possible extent. All this is done without compromising an iota on your comfort or jolly fun.
Read More

• Travelodge Hotel, London:

Built from recycled shipping containers, the Travelodge Hotel is the greenest hotel in London. The building will have 307 rooms when it is done and the interiors will look as good as in any other Travelodge Hotel. Those who visit the Hotel will not notice any difference, and if you did not tell them, then they would never know that this was built from shipping containers. Now, that is a smart way to save energy and time!
Read More

• Aerohotel, Dubai:

Designed by Alexander Asadov, the Aerohotel is still a concept but once built it will feature an elegant floating island that sits atop an equally stunning support system. The support system of the structure ensures that tons of gravel doesn’t disrupt the peaceful aquatic sea life. The 200 meter wide circular island is held in the air by three arms that are tethered to the bottom of the site. Apart from a hotel the Aerohotel will also house restaurants, cafes and winter gardens. The Aerohotel will be made from transparent materials to ensure maximum natural lighting and minimum environmental impact.
Read More

• Songjiang Hotel, China:

The Songjiang Hotel in China is actually going to be built inside a 100-meter-deep quarry. It’s a brilliant eco-sensitive idea, since no land has to be leveled or destroyed in order to build the hotel and it is already well protected from the elements. The building is constructed in such a way that it takes advantage of the already available natural terrain and will use geothermal energy to generate electricity and hot water.
Read More

• Wind Tower Hotel, Miami:

Designed by Miami-based Michael Rosenthal, the “Wind Tower” will appeal more than any other project to eco-conscious people, as it embraces almost every effort to be green. It’s an egg-shaped conceptual luxury resort, which can be a landmark in the architectural world. The structure sounds almost completely self sufficient and does not depend upon external mechanical power to maintain its breathing atmospheric conversion system.
Read More

• Reefworld Hotel, Australia:

The hotel is set to be opened to tourists and researchers in 2010 and will feature a full-fledged spa and eight glass-walled underwater bedrooms as well as a research facility for coral and reef research and studies. The project is to be headed by British designer and architect Richard Hywel Evans who has just completed a similar project for a hotel off the cost of Sri Lanka, and will feature extraordinary eco-friendly energy generation systems that will use turbines, solar panels and underwater trickle-charge generators.
Read More

• Mayland Seaside Hotel, China:

The hotel is currently in the design phase and is due to be completed in 2012-2013. The design provides for wind turbines on the upper portion of the tower and massive array of photovoltaic panels covering the entire south façade. In the basement is a provision to incorporate a fuel cell power generator that would run on clean natural gas to efficiently produce electricity and heat for hot water. The proposed groundbreaking design of the 373-key Mayland Seaside Hotel would make it the first hotel in the world to be completely carbon-neutral.
Read More

• Kimpton Hotel, Florida:

We’ve been regular in showcasing some of the most eco-fantastic inventions and architecture in the recent past. Be it conceptual or under construction, these buildings did wonderfully well in making sure that our future generations live in skyscrapers that would be self-sufficient and carbon neutral. Staying in green houses is something we all want, but some designers took their designing skills another step forward by designing some luxuriously green hotels, which can change the way we stay when outdoors. Here is a list of 10 such hotels and designs that do add a touch of green in the hospitality industry:

Developed by Northstar Resort Enterprise Corporation, the resort will have 138 luxury units and a 5,000-square foot restaurant. The proposed resort will include a 20,000-kilowatt solar array that would provide green electricity for all electricity needs of the resort including the electric golf carts that the resort is supposed to have. The excess energy will be sold back to Florida Keys Electric Cooperative. The resort will also house wind turbines that would power the dock lights, a rainwater harvesting system will also be introduced to collect water for laundry purposes

Hotel in a chinese quarry

This Hotel will be a five-star resort hotel set within a beautiful water-filled quarry close to Shanghai in China, and is expected to be completed by May, 2009. Image © from Atkins Architects   Project Name: Songjiang Hotel Year: Current Owner: Shimao Location: Songjiang District, China Building Type: Commercial Greenroof Type: Semi-Extensive Greenroof System: Custom Roof Size: 37237 sq.ft. Roof Slope: 1% Access: Accessible, Open to Public Submitted by: Greenroofs.com Designers/Manufacturers of Record Architect: Atkins Architects Lead Architect, Bristol: Martin Jochman, Atkins Architects Architect, Shanghai: Paul Rice, Atkins Architects Architect, Shanghai: Hu Yali, Atkins Architects Architect, Shanghai: Ding Fang, Atkins Architects Architect, Shanghai: Zhang Jian, Atkins Architects Architect, Shanghai: Vivian Chen, Atkins Architects Atkins has won an international competition to design a resort hotel which is going to be built in a 100 meter deep quarry in the Songjiang district near to Shanghai in China. Although from these pictures the hotel looks almost unreal, the project is expected to be completed by May, 2009. The quarry will protect the resort from the weather and reduce the energy needs of the hotel. The complex will contain restaurants, cafes, sport facilities, and will even include underwater public areas and guestrooms. Martin Jochman, the chief in design team, says “We drew our inspiration from the quarry setting itself, adopting the image of a green hill cascading down the natural rock face as a series of terraced landscaped hanging gardens. In the centre, we have created a transparentglass ‘waterfall’ from a central vertical circulation atrium connectingthe quarry base with the ground level. This replicates the natural waterfalls on the existing quarry face.” The Songjiang Hotel will be a five-star resort hotel set within a beautiful water-filled quarry close to Shanghai in China, and is expected to be completed by May, 2009. The Shangaiist says, “Atkins has won an international competition to design a five-star resort hotel set within a beautiful water-filled quarry in the Songjiang district close to Shanghai in China. Its stunning concept designs inspired by the natural water and landscape features of the quarry captured the imagination of judges to quash competition from two other international firms The innovative design of the 400-bed resort hotel stands two levels higher than the rock face of the 100 metre deep quarry and includes underwater public areas and guestrooms. It will incorporate conference facilities for up to 1,000 people, a banqueting centre, restaurants, cafés and sports facilities. Sustainability is integral to the design ranging from using green roofing for the structures above the ground level to geothermal energy extraction e-architect writes “An aquatic theme runs through the design both visually and functionally. Curved wings of the main body of the guestrooms enclose a naturally lit internal atrium, which uses the existing rock face with its waterfalls and green vegetation. This will be overlooked by guestroom balconies and contain restaurants and cafés at the base. Two underwater levels will house a restaurant and guestrooms facing a ten-metre deep aquarium. The lowest level of the hotel will contain a leisure complex with a swimming pool and water-based sports. An extreme sports centre for activities such as rock climbing and bungee jumping will be cantilevered over the quarry and accessed by special lifts from the water level of the hotel The hotel is an integral part of the design of a new city on the outskirts of Shanghai for 500,000 people called Songjiang Garden City. Atkins’ website states, “Our brief was to interpret and modify an outline masterplan and prepare physical designs for the whole city, with particular attention to the central business district and three housing districts This involved the development of a conceptual masterplan using garden city philosophy and sustainable design principles. As part of the masterplan we developed a comprehensive open space hierarchy. We proposed a low-rise, sustainable garden city concept, where only the central business district buildings exceed four storeys in height. A rich mixture of formal and informal layouts within the district and local centres form the heart of a series of identifiable communities. The existing landscape is laced with waterways and is generally flat rice farming country. The layout builds on these natural qualities to create a unique identity, using linear parks and a major central park as delineating forms in the masterplan The architect says that most likely a custom design on In situ concrete substructure will occur - however, they will investigate suitable single source systems

February 2006

House at Woods Edge
Dixon Weinstein

March 2006

Leinbach Residence
Tina Govan

April 2006

Davis Residence
Erik Mehlman

May 2006

1409 Ashburton
Architektur PA

June 2006

Webb-Dotti House
Gomes+Staub

July 2006

Davis Residence
Bizios Architect

August 2006

Wheeler Residence
Cherry Huffman

September 2006

The Foxgate
Maurer Architecture

October 2006

Bungalow Addition and Renovation
Cannon Architects

November 2006

An Artist's Pallette
Angerio Design

Kingkey Tower/Beijing South/Sheraton Dameisha/China National Petroleum HQ, China

Terry Farrell strikes gold in ChinaTerry Farrell strikes gold in China

As the world goes Olympics mad, Farrell has been making his own contribution to Chinese development

 

With a roof area the size of 20 football pitches, the vast Beijing South Railway Station is the largest station in Asia and a core Olympic project which opens next week. Home to new high speed rail lines between Olympic venues, the station is China’s largest and embodies innovative architecture and rigorous design. It is designed for an annual passenger turnover of 105 million by the year 2030, with a peak-hour flow of 30,800 passengers.

The station’s low-rise roof includes a 30,000 m2 skylight that maximises natural light into the station and conserves energy. Outside, the station makes a generous contribution to the public realm and significantly enhances the neighbourhood character of the surrounding area. Its unique, contemporary form has given the city a dynamic new landmark as well as a vital improvement to China’s infrastructure.

Currently under construction, the Kingkey Finance Tower will be Shenzhen’s tallest building at over 100 storeys and one of the highest mixed-use buildings in the world. At 493m, it will be taller than the Petronas Towers in Malaysia. Its visually slim form allows for high efficiency levels, while the sophisticated cladding enables the tower to maintain an optimum interior environment while minimising solar heat gain. The Tower is linked to a large shopping mall which in turn connects directly to a metro station, and will contain offices, a six-star luxury hotel and conference facilities with a roof-top lobby. Kingkey Tower is set to become both an attraction and a catalyst for further growth in China’s most successful economic zone.

China’s largest (and the world’s second largest) company commissioned Farrells to design a prestigious new headquarters. Farrells’ design response is a building that reflects the company’s identity and success while incorporating many important sustainability features. Four 24-storey buildings rise from a common podium, becoming lighter and more open towards the top of the building as the amount of glazing increases. The building is an elegant example of modern architecture in Beijing using the latest building technology.

Those seeking rest and relaxation away from the Olympics can travel to Farrell’s award-winning and luxurious Sheraton Dameisha Resort in Shenzhen – sited on a 2.5km beach with 368 rooms, exhibition and conference facilities, restaurants, a spa and fitness centre. The building curves around its site like a traditional Chinese dragon, ensuring that all rooms have ocean views. The building has already won an award for the Best Waterfront Developer/Best Waterfront Development in China.

The hotel’s five-star pedigree, landmark architecture and stunning natural qualities are expected to attract regular tourists from China and around the world, helping to establish China as a resort destination.

Sir Terry Farrell said: “I am extremely proud of my practice’s global achievements. Whether in transport and infrastructure, leisure or commerce, these buildings show that we are producing world-class buildings for major global clients. If architecture were an Olympic sport, Britain would be racing ahead. I am proud that my firm is up there on the podium

As the world's olympians head to Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games, architect Sir Terry Farrell is busy with his own spot of world-beating achievements in China. Here we run through a collection of four of the best buildings by the British architect in China.
.”