Architecture firm Goettsch Partners has unveiled its design for a new resort and meeting destination on China’s Hainan Island in Haitang Bay.
Developed by Poly Real Estate Group, the complex, called Rosewood Sanya and International Finance Forum, features a 729-key resort hotel and serviced apartment tower, a 28,000-sm International Finance Forum convention center, a series of connecting retail buildings, and a modest visitors center.
Located at the southern end of the island in the city of Sanya, the complex focuses on two primary design elements: a lighthouse tower for the hotel and serviced apartments, and a rock form for the convention center.
To be operated by Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, the 45-story, 123,500-sm hotel and serviced apartment tower is distinctive as a resort property, standing as a clear landmark on the waterfront. The International Finance Forum is designed as a premier convention facility, catering to national and international economic and political summits, as well as a variety of other meetings and special events.
Rising from a conceptual outcropping of rock, the 233-meter-tall “lighthouse” hotel and serviced apartment tower will be an iconic symbol of Haitang Bay, with its glowing beacon visible as visitors approach from any direction.
Designed to be a unique resort in the sky, the building is organized vertically, with the arrival sequence, landscape, and incorporation of water and views all considered integral to the guest experience.
The resort is purposely designed to be intimate and exclusive, offering a limited number of rooms—all generously sized—as well as an extensive array of amenities. Hotel guests arrive at a lushly landscaped entry and are immediately whisked up elevators to the sky lobby on level 14 for check-in. This expansive two-story level features unparalleled views and landscaped terraces, along with several amenities, including a sweeping infinity-edge sky pool, lobby lounge, three-meal restaurant, and an executive club.
From the sky lobby, local elevators then escort guests to their rooms on the lower levels. All 229 guest rooms face east and feature ocean views. Each guestroom also includes its own individual terrace or, in some cases, its own plunge pool.
The 500 serviced apartments are positioned on the upper floors of the tower, as well as behind the hotel areas on the lower floors. The top of the tower provides a club amenity level for all apartment units. This multilevel space contains small gathering and larger meeting spaces, along with areas for drinks and entertainment.
The overall complex is scheduled for completion in 2015, with the hotel opening in 2017.
Related Stories
| May 22, 2014
IKEA to convert original store into company museum
Due to open next year, the museum is expected to attract 200,000 people annually to rural Älmhult, Sweden, home of the first ever IKEA store.
| May 21, 2014
Evidence-based design practices for the palliative care environment
Palliative care strives to make patients comfortable as they are receiving treatment for a severe illness. As hospitals seek to avoid Affordable Care Act penalties for poor patient satisfaction, many expect this field to grow quickly.
| May 21, 2014
Gehry unveils plan for renovation, expansion of Philadelphia Museum of Art [slideshow]
Gehry's final design reorganizes and expands the building, adding more than 169,000 sf of space, much of it below the iconic structure.
| May 21, 2014
Check out Pandora's posh NYC offices [slideshow]
The new East Coast office for the Internet radio provider is housed on two interconnected floors of the classic 125 Park Avenue building, and features multiple spaces for music performances, large gatherings, and “all hands” meetings.
| May 21, 2014
Architecture Billings Index in the negative for second consecutive month
The March ABI score was 49.6, up slightly from a mark of 48.8 in March, but still below the growth threshold of 50.
| May 20, 2014
Kinetic Architecture: New book explores innovations in active façades
The book, co-authored by Arup's Russell Fortmeyer, illustrates the various ways architects, consultants, and engineers approach energy and comfort by manipulating air, water, and light through the layers of passive and active building envelope systems.
| May 20, 2014
Gensler envisions 'law firm of the future' with pop-up office project
Called "The Legal Office of the Future," the pop-up demonstration project made its debut this week at the annual conference for the Association of Legal Administrators in Toronto.
| May 20, 2014
Using fire-rated glass in exterior applications
Fire-rated glazing and framing assemblies are just as beneficial on building exteriors as they are on the inside. But knowing how to select the correct fire-rated glass for exterior applications can be confusing. SPONSORED CONTENT
| May 20, 2014
World's best new skyscrapers: Renzo Piano's The Shard, China's 'doughnut hotel' voted to Emporis list
Eight other high-rise projects were named Emporis Skyscraper Award winners, including DC Tower 1 by Dominique Perrault Architecture and Tour Carpe Diem by Robert A.M. Stern.
| May 19, 2014
What can architects learn from nature’s 3.8 billion years of experience?
In a new report, HOK and Biomimicry 3.8 partnered to study how lessons from the temperate broadleaf forest biome, which houses many of the world’s largest population centers, can inform the design of the built environment.