Not only did Hong Kong-based OVA envision a unique method of paying for this shipping-container hotel concept, the firm designed a structure that could be altered on a whim.
Shipping container architecture has caught on recently, as in the case of this student housing development in South Africa. Like that apartment complex, the Hive-Inn would be made entirely of shipping containers.
But in OVA's concept, any shipping container, or hotel room, can be moved at will. In other words, at any given time, the hotel can remove one room entirely and replace it with something else, or transfer it to a different area of the overall hotel.
The malleable nature of the concept lends itself to a one-of-a-kind advertising strategy: make each shipping container the property of an advertiser. As examples, OVA created renderings of a Ferrari room and an Alexander McQueen room. Essentially, according to their model, an advertiser would design the inside and outside of the shipping container for a certain price. Then, their container/room would act as an advertisement, both for the residents who opted for "the Ferrari room" and anyone passing by the hotel.
"Pushing the idea, we found that creating a link between famous brands, container fit-out, and Hive-Inn operators could be a winning scenario in which greater experience for the customer could meet with higher expense for the brands, with lower overall costs for the hotel operator," OVA said in a statement.
The Hive-Inn was designed as an entry in the 2014 Radical Innovation Awards competition. Competition finalists will present and defend their work in May.
Take a look at the Hive-Inn concept below. All renderings courtesy of OVA Studio.
Related Stories
| Apr 12, 2011
Metal cladding: Enhancing design with single-skin panels, MCMs, and IMPs
Single-skin metal panels, metal composite panels, and insulated metal panels can add both aesthetic and functional value to your projects, if you use them correctly.
| Apr 12, 2011
American Institute of Architects announces Guide for Sustainable Projects
AIA Guide for Sustainable Projects to provide design and construction industries with roadmap for working on sustainable projects.
| Apr 11, 2011
Wind turbines to generate power for new UNT football stadium
The University of North Texas has received a $2 million grant from the State Energy Conservation Office to install three wind turbines that will feed the electrical grid and provide power to UNT’s new football stadium.
| Apr 8, 2011
SHW Group appoints Marjorie K. Simmons as CEO
Chairman of the Board Marjorie K. Simmons assumes CEO position, making SHW Group the only firm in the AIA Large Firm Roundtable to appoint a woman to this leadership position
| Apr 5, 2011
Zaha Hadid’s civic center design divides California city
Architect Zaha Hadid is in high demand these days, designing projects in Hong Kong, Milan, and Seoul, not to mention the London Aquatics Center, the swimming arena for the 2012 Olympics. But one of the firm’s smaller clients, the city of Elk Grove, Calif., recently conjured far different kinds of aquatic life when members of the City Council and the public chose words like “squid,” “octopus,” and “starfish” to describe the latest renderings for a proposed civic center.
| Apr 5, 2011
Are architects falling behind on BIM?
A study by the National Building Specification arm of RIBA Enterprises showed that 43% of architects and others in the industry had still not heard of BIM, let alone started using it. It also found that of the 13% of respondents who were using BIM only a third thought they would be using it for most of their projects in a year’s time.