dn-a have submitted a proposal for a Hotel in the Flower Ocean / Huayan Township Masterplan in China as part of an international competition.
Set on the boundary of the masterplan, the proposed development the “Living Pods in the English Garden” comprises of a 286 bedroom hotel with a total floor area of 10,500m2.
The hotels elevational treatment was derived from the “foxglove” flower which with its tall spires of long tubular bells inspired the transformation of the bedroom pods.
The concept of bringing the traditional English garden approach to China with a series of oak trees, privet hedges and most importantly the English rose raised some fundamental technical issues for the design team such as how to preserve the plants from the high humidity and sub-tropical climate within the Jiangxi Province. The design team derived an innovative and dynamic solution which consists of a sculptural timber lattice screen which wraps the entire southern façade of the building. This forms a controlled environment by partially shielding the plants from the prevailing wind and strong sun.
The building has been designed to incorporate low energy design elements to minimise energy consumption by using on-site renewables and a gas fired CHP plant to provide heat & power to the various elements of the scheme.
