Image Credit : LAVA
Project Overview
The Phung Khoang Mountains Hotel is a hotel and residential complex by a beautiful lakeside in Hanoi creating a unique destination and iconic hotel address.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Laboratory for Visionary Architecture
Team
LAVA: Chris Bosse, Tobias Wallisser, Alexander Rieck
Project Brief
Seeking inspiration from the nearby Halong Bay mountains, the project is distributed over three partially interconnected buildings that resemble a mountain range. Mountain massing and contours are the design inspiration.
The client requested a combination of buildings to form a unified architectural complex rather than separate buildings.
Rather than building a square box with tiny windows and generic hotel interiors, this development creates a unique and attractive destination for local and international travellers alike.
Together they make guests feel lost in another world, with time and space to enjoy nature and the unique architectural language.
Project Innovation/Need
While 99% of the buildings in Hanoi are square boxes, LAVA designed these buildings as a series of pebble shaped mountains.
Instead of using perpendicular or parallel building orientations the creation of curvy organic building forms maximises lake views from multiple locations in the buildings, gives softened views yet still minimises the negative effect of western sunlight.
The architecture consists of a tower and a podium. The rigid volume is smoothened and transformed into a more organic form. Construction brings a rigid volume with perfect efficiency. Architecture doubles its values.
Inspired by mountain holes caused by erosion, parts of the solid volume are pierced and removed to create hole-like spaces which frame the lake view and cityscape.
One tower is residential use while the other two are programmed for hotel and condotel services and are connected at the base with facilities and ballroom. Each tower is supplied by two elevator cores for vertical circulation.
While maintaining the exact same floor area required LAVA created additional qualities through cascading balconies and stepped terraces.
Design Challenge
Situated on a lakefront within a park setting, the hotel offers plenty of activities between its indoor and outdoor venues.
Every room has a stepping green full width balcony, and all the public spaces are based on contemporary interpretations of uniquely Vietnamese settings.
The large interconnected pool and bar terrace is a series of cascading water features and swimming pools leading to a vast entertainment deck for weddings and events. The ballrooms and conference facilities cater for business and family events alike.
The associated serviced apartment tower enjoys all the facilities of the hotels, from concierge to gym to catering, and provides equally wonderful district and lake views.
Sustainability
While making use of passive solar shading as well as active energy generation, the rounded shape helps mitigate negative effects from wind.
The maximised curved facade shapes release the view for each room inside.
Landscape features are also designed in this language which enhances the sense of nature.
Architecture - Proposed - International
This award celebrates the design process and product of planning, designing and constructing form, space and ambience that reflect functional, technical, social, and aesthetic considerations. Consideration given for material selection, technology, light and shadow. The project can be a concept, tender or personal project, i.e. proposed space.
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