via�Designboom - Weblog�on 4/1/09
'helix hotel' by leeser architecture
image courtesy�leeser architecture
american firm�leeser architecture�has won first prize in a competition�
for a five-star luxury hotel in the zayed bay in abu dhabi, UAE.�
called the helix hotel for its staggered floor plates, it rests�
in the bay, partially floating in the water and adjacent to�
the serpentine sheik zayed bridge currently under construction�
by zaha hadid.
with 208 guest rooms and suites arranged around a helical floor,�
the hotel immediately dispenses with the idea that visitors must�
engage in the stale paradigms of rigid hallways and atria that�
characterize a typical hotel stay. the floor constantly shifts�
in width and pitch as it rises to the top floor, keeping public�
spaces always in flux. no two rooms positioned across from each�
other have exact views to the other side. as the helix winds upward,�
programmatic elements change from lounges and restaurants on the bay,�
to meeting rooms and conference facilities, to lounges and cafes,�
to the luxury indoor-outdoor health spa on the fifth floor, to, finally,�
the upper pool deck on the roof. the running track on the fifth floor�
represents the only moment when the ramping ceases and a flat surface�
prevails.
the indoor waterfall allows for the accumulation of heat inside�
the hotel to be minimal by filtering cool water back up into�
the system as it falls through the void. in the sub-lobby,�
a dynamic glass wall is built from the base of the second floor�
down into the water. the wall acts as a curtain, opening�
when the weather is cool enough and closing when it is too hot�
for exposure to the desert air. Portions of the outside surface�
are clad in panels made of a new material called grow, which has�
both photovoltaic and wind harnessing capabilities.�
'helix hotel'
image courtesy�leeser architecture
'helix hotel'
image courtesy�leeser architecture
'helix hotel' interior
image courtesy�leeser architecture
'helix hotel' interior
image courtesy�leeser architecture
'helix hotel' interior
image courtesy�leeser architecture
'helix hotel' running track
image courtesy�leeser architecture
'helix hotel' exterior
image courtesy�leeser architecture
'helix hotel' exterior
image courtesy�leeser architecture
'helix hotel'�
image courtesy�leeser architecture
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