HONG KONG HOTEL
Competition - Arquitectum//Concurso - Arquitectum
Honorable Mention//Mencion Honorífica
Hong Kong, China
The female siluette has always been a muse for all artists at all stages in the world culture; from the Greeks and Romans down to the timing of Botero or Picasso, no matter how slender or voluptuous the female body was. The woman herself is a figure that can cause whether melancholy or lust; this passion and controversy that this being causes, inspired us to create an sculptural element rather than an insipid volume in this city that absorbs you in the urban density making you lose your human identity, transforming you into an object that only looks forward to perform a daily routine. The intent of this sculpture is a well-deserved pay tribute to the Chinese woman; an example that beauty is not against a working and entrepreneurial attitude, worthy of a nation that is in a constant growth at all senses. Focusing on the area corresponding to Hong Kong, we can perceive that it's a city with impressively organized grids where a main access with its bay frames the reflections of thousands of multicolored lights provided by the urban skyline; nights that seem to show us that Hong Kong is not another city, but a living entity. The city's nightlife is evidenced by the number of massive and high-quality events offered by clubs, theaters and shopping malls. Talking about the project, the building's most perceptible attributes is the enclosing structure that frames the panoramic views of the city and the bay without any restriction; since all the services of drinking water, gray water, electricity as well vertical circulation are centralized in order to provide this three hundred and sixty degree visuals of the surrounding. The mesh as a skin and structure in the building is not only used as an aesthetic issue, but it's also a response to climatic forces; generating shadows where needed to a greater extent, as is evidenced by the image showing the solar radiation analysis done in ECOTECT software. Continuing with the sustainability topic, the building, features in its windows photovoltaic cells in the most open areas of mesh, in order to take advantage of natural light and try to minimize artificial lighting required to illuminate the inside of the hotel. In the basement area, a water treatment plant was added to contribute to the gray water reuse; and at the same level an air treatment plant was also supplied to recycle the air that goes down the central areas purifying it and distributing it into the rooms and clubs. With the use of LED lamps for both exterior and interior purposes are also intended to generate less power consumption, compared to the conventional fluorescent lighting system. Regarding the integration of the building to the site; a ground level was planned to be used as a plaza that could serve as a landmark without interrupting the people's circulation flow that it's generated by the proximity of the metro system. At the same time, this plaza pretends to enfold the park that it's located on the right side of the site to create a continuation, illuminating it to offer a better comfort zone and safety to the neighborhood.//La silueta femenina siempre ha sido una musa para todos los artistas en las diferentes etapas de la cultura mundial . La admiración, pasión y controversia que la mujer provoca nos ha inspirado a crear más que un edificio, un elemento escultórico con la intensión de rendirle un bien merecido homenaje a la mujer china; ejemplo de belleza e inteligencia. Los atributos más evidentes del proyecto son la estructura envolvente que enmarca las vistas panorámicas tanto del urbe, como de la bahía sin restricción alguna, ya que todos los servicios (agua potable, aguas residuales, eléctricos, etc. ) como la circulación se encuentran de manera vertical y centralizada. La utilización de una malla como envolvente y estructura no fue solo pensado como de carácter estético sino también como un sistema responsivo a las fuerzas climáticas, generando protección en las áreas con mayor índice de radiación solar. El edificio cuenta en sus cristales con celdas fotovoltaicas en las zonas más abiertas de la malla, aprovechando la entrada de luz natural y tratando de minimizar los requerimientos de luz artificial al interior del lugar. En el área del sótano se maneja una planta de tratamiento de aguas y otra de aire; contribuyendo así con el rehusó de las aguas grises y el reciclado de aire para después ser purificado e introducido en la zonas de habitaciones y clubes. Con respecto a la integración del inmueble con el sitio; se generó todo un nivel cero como plaza con el propósito de no interrumpir el flujo de gente que se genera a causa de las entradas y salidas cercanas al sistema de metro. A su vez esta plaza pretende acoger el parque que se encuentra continuo, para crear un hito y zona de confort brindando seguridad al lugar existente.
