The proposed Hanoi Lotus Centre doesn't just pay homage to the national flower of Vietnam in name only; Decibel Architecture has designed the building to physically resemble a series of young lotus blossoms.
The Centre will be positioned along one of the city’s main roads and, per the City of Hanoi’s request, will sit atop a lake that will act as part of the city’s stormwater control system. The building is being designed using a pentagonal grid system. This type of system was selected as a metaphor representing the five points of an outstretched person and because ratios of five are common in nature, especially in the organization of petal structures. Five smaller lotus blossoms will surround a large, main blossom that will become the central node.
The building will house a variety of functions and spaces such as a restaurant, incubator and startup offices, 3D and 4D cinemas, multiple auditoriums, outdoor circulation, and an ice skating rink.
It isn’t just the building’s exterior that will resemble the lotus flower, as the ceiling to the main interior circulation space is inspired by the colors and patterns found on the underside of a lotus leaf. The ceiling will blend into the central auditorium volume where colored skylights and light boxes will be added. The architects say the light that comes in through these fixtures will mimic the experience of being under lotus leaves.
The exterior petals of the faux lotus leaves will act as the Hanoi Lotus Centre’s façade and will also provide shade to the restaurant and VIP areas. Each petal is created from layers of fins, glazing, shells, and support structures.
The Hanoi Lotus Centre is intended as a gateway project, providing a sense of arrival to visitors and locals driving down the main road that connects Noi Bai Airport with the greater city. The new park and cultural center is envisioned as a meeting place for the community, a multifunctional theater and performance space, and a symbol of Hanoi’s growth and prosperity.
Hanoi Lotus from Ryan on Vimeo.
Rendering courtesy of Decibel Architecture.
Rendering courtesy of Decibel Architecture.
Rendering courtesy of Decibel Architecture. (Click to enlarge)
Rendering courtesy of Decibel Architecture.
Rendering courtesy of Decibel Architecture.
Rendering courtesy of Decibel Architecture. (Click to enlarge)
Rendering courtesy of Decibel Architecture.
Rendering courtesy of Decibel Architecture.
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Rafael Vinoly-designed East Wing opens at Cleveland Museum of Art
Rafael Vinoly Architects has designed the new East Wing at the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA), Ohio, which opened to the public on June 27, 2009. Its completion marks the opening of the first of three planned wings.
| Aug 11, 2010
World-Class Revival on Utah’s Capitol Hill
Since 1916, the Utah State Capitol building has served as the foundation of Utah’s government, housing the state legislature operations as well as the offices of the governor, attorney general, and treasurer. But after decades of wear and tear and numerous short-sighted modernization attempts, Utah’s rock was on the verge of crumbling.
| Aug 11, 2010
IFMA announces new Religious Facilities Community of practice
The International Facility Management Association is pleased to announce the formation of the Religious Facilities Community, a new community of practice devoted to those who work as full-time, part-time or volunteer facility managers in their houses of worship. IFMA’s communities of practice are organized special interest groups that unite members of specific industries not represented by the association’s councils.
| Aug 11, 2010
AASHE releases annual review of sustainability in higher education
The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) has announced the release of AASHE Digest 2008, which documents the continued rapid growth of campus sustainability in the U.S. and Canada. The 356-page report, available as a free download on the AASHE website, includes over 1,350 stories that appeared in the weekly AASHE Bulletin last year.
| Aug 11, 2010
Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council Program Place Project
Houston, Texas
The Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council Program Place is the headquarters for the largest Girl Scout Council in the U.S., with 63,000 scouts. The building houses the council’s administrative offices, a Girl Scout museum, and activity space. When an adjacent two-story office building became available, the council jumped at the chance to expand its museum and program space.
| Aug 11, 2010
Burt Hill, HOK top BD+C's ranking of the nation's 100 largest university design firms
A ranking of the Top 100 University Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
PBK, DLR Group among nation's largest K-12 school design firms, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 75 K-12 School Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants