Project A.N. --- Part 3

3. Explanation and evaluation of the designed hotel

3.1. Starting point --- Towards the continuous and seamless landscape
In general when a building is sat between street and inner garden, the building usually performs as a barrier to separate these two open spaces. This phenomenon happens often in the “口” form building block just like the site of this project. But what is wrong with the separation between them? Aren’t the buildings born to be used as enclosure to create private inner garden? Why is it so necessary to communicate these two open spaces with each other?


In my opinion by nature landscape should be continuous and seamless and shouldn’t be broken by the building skin and interior space. It’s because normally buildings are erected on the existing landscape and the entire landscape is divided into many odd pieces by the buildings. And here comes the problem: people’s experience of open space is often interrupted whenever they enter the interior space. If we can make interior space and building façade work as the medium to communicate with the open spaces, we could let the experience continue. At the same time, no matter visually or physically, the odd pieces of landscape in the city will be connected with each other and become a complete and continuous landscape again. It’s very important to let people feel that the buildings are built inside the entire and complete landscape which is composed by odd pieces of open space, but not built between the open spaces. In this way, interior space can also be a part of landscape which helps to reform the continuous and seamless landscape.




3.2. Concepts
I. From the guest’s aspect --- Create unusual experience
The Culture Creatives is a group of people who dare to try something new and unusual. Especially when the new experience is realized in experimental art form it will attract more Culture Creatives to visit this hotel.

II. From contextual aspect --- Create continuous experience of landscape
People’s experience of open space is often interrupted whenever they enter the interior space. Building will be the medium between streetscape and inner garden to let the experience continue.

III. From architectonic aspect --- Create an interior garden
Interior space will be part of landscape which helps to form the continuous experience. Abstract natural symbols and patterns will be used to build the interior garden.

IV. From aspect of room --- Bed is the center of the room.
Learning from the study of the Japanese capsule hotel, bed is the center of the capsule unit which is surrounded by the necessary functions of the hotel room. In such a small site of the city center, the interior space must be used efficiently like the capsule hotel in Japan. In my opinion, the existence of bed should be strongly emphasized in the space because bed is the most important element in the hotel room. The bed should be the center in the room and can reach the other function in almost the same distance.

Fig. 3.1: Diagram of the concept IV

3.3. Program of demands

Demands of spatial use:
- Total gross surface: about 750 m²
- Percentage of spatial use:
45% for hotel rooms à 337.5 m²
30% for the facilities à 225 m²
25% for lift, stairs, atrium and corridor à 187.5 m²

Demands of room:
- Size: 17m² (4.25mx4m) for single room; 29.75m² (4.25mx7m) for double room à Total 327.25 m²
- Quantity: 7 single rooms; 7 double rooms à max. 21 guests per day
- Efficient spatial use for the rooms à Move away the functions which are useless for the target group (the CCs)
- Daylight: from the openings on the façade and atrium
- Artificial light for the hotel rooms: indirect lighting

Demands of SPA:
- For health and relaxation: swimming pool(3X12m), steam room, massage room and terrace
- Café (48m²)which provides breakfast and healthy food for the guests

Demands of Climatic control & Installation:
- Atrium: Atrium is used to create natural ventilation for each room, and also works as buffer in the winter

Demands for spatial design

I. The building should become the medium between two landscapes by using real and abstracted elements from nature.

i. Reflecting material for the front façade à Reflecting the green streetscape
ii. Direct visual connection between two landscapes à Water surface for guiding and enhancing the visual connection à Swimming pool à SPA on the ground floor
iii. Organic pattern for the composition and structure of façade
iv. Make a “WHITE” building:
White can simplify and purify the space. The building will become a neutral object between two green open spaces, and this neutrality and simplicity will create the abstract and artificial nature in the interior space and also make a contrast to the natural landscape outside. Texture of material will replace color to create different spatial quality.


II. The route of promenade from the street to the room should be translated to the transformation from real nature to the abstract and artificial nature.

i. Route: From the street with trees, water, and grass to the room made by pure abstract and artificial natural elements
ii. Real natural elements for the horizontal direction: Water + the landscape on the other side of the building
iii. Abstracted natural elements for the vertical direction: Light from the light well above and abstract form of mountain and cave


III. Create special sphere and scene in the room by using abstracted form from nature.

i. Abstract form of cave à Artificial topography in the interior à Integrate the furniture with the artificial topography.
ii. Free partition in the interior à Create continuity between exterior to interior
iii. Different size of room from the irregular form of the volume à Single room + Double room on each floor.
iv. Sphere and scene created by the abstracted form from nature à Adapt organic pattern for the façade and window frame