The Dreamlike “Moon” on Taihu Lake
In the Chinese city of Huzhou, Zhejiang Province has recently opened a new hotel complex Sheraton Huzhou Hot Spring Resort with a yacht marina, designed by renowned national studio MAD Architects. The building looks like a magnificent “ring” comprised of luxury crystals and jades located on the south lakefront of China’s famous Taihu Lake and is reminiscent of a gorgeous arch bridge.
Sheraton
Ideally situated on the picturesque south lakefront of China’s famous Taihu Lake the resort boasts both - luxuriously furnished guestrooms in the main building and villas and the Shine Spa for Sheraton, which is located two levels below the main building and a separate spa village with 39 spa villas, each of which is complete with its own unique features and specially designed treatments. Both these, and the resort’s forty hot springs and a yacht dock will be in service in 2013. The construction of the new hotel in China well illustrates plans of the Sheraton network, which is now actively increasing the number of branches: about 30 new hotels will appear soon in Asia and 4 - in Africa and in the Middle East. All of these unrivalled facilities ensure that the Sheraton Huzhou is destined to become one of the most favorable destinations in the Yangtze River Delta for top-notch recreation and exceptional experiences.
Architectural Marvel
With 27 floors above ground and 2 levels underground, the main building of the Sheraton Huzhou is a 102-meter high and 116-meter wide skyscraper that stands gracefully on the lakefront of Taihu. A concept that undoubtedly was the product of a gifted imagination, the clear ring-shape posed a significant challenge to the structural design. The “reinforced concrete core wall” structure, which has been widely used throughout the world to build super high rises, which include the 1872 Menier chocolate factory in Paris, the world-renowned Empire State Building in New York, and the distinctive Tapei 101, was adopted. Implemented in the project “reinforced concrete core-tube” featuring a high capacity for load bearing at a relatively smaller self-weight, this structure is much more eco-friendly and offers excellent anti-seismic characteristics. Moreover, it exhibits higher fire resistance and is essentially cheaper than the steel one at comparable durability, while simultaneously reducing environmental pollution during construction. The mesh curved surface structure makes the building more solid and it is this solidity that is further enhanced by the bridge-like bracing steel structure that connects with the double cone structure at the top floor. The hotel facade is covered with layers of fine-textured white aluminum rings and glass, bringing about illusion and drama of the building scale. To ensure all of the requirements of this highly demanding structure were perfectly met, Jinggong Steel Building and CNYD, builders of the famous Beijing “Bird’s Nest” Olympic Stadium, were contracted to build the Sheraton Huzhou.
Sheraton Huzhou Hot Spring Resort
Location: Huzhou, China
Program: Hotel
Building Area: 59,686 sq. m
Height: 102 m
Architect: MAD Architect Co., Ltd.,
Associate Engineers: Shanghai SianDai Architecture Design (Group) Co., Ltd.,
Structural Engineer: China Majesty Steel Structural Design Co., Ltd.,
Facade/Cladding Consultants: Zhejiang Zhongnan Curtain Wall Co., Ltd., Shanghai Timalco Curtain Wall Engineering Co., Ltd.,
Landscape Architect: EDSA - Landscape Design
Construction Period: 2007 - 2012
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Materials provided by MAD Architects