Architizer News
PLaT Architects Plants Lotus Hotel In The Middle Of The Desert
November 26, 2012
The lotus is one of the most potent symbols in Chinese culture, representing purity, enlightenment, and good fortune. Soon, thanks to PLaT Architects, it could also become a symbol of innovative architecture and luxury vacationing! The Asian architecture firm has recently unveiled plans for its Lotus Hotel — a sprawling resort nestled in China’s Xiangshawan Desert. Located more than 500 miles from Beijing, the hotel will be built with local materials — well, as local as the middle of the desert can get — and will not use water or concrete during construction. The final structure will include petal-like canopies arranged in a circular bloom. Read more!
The building’s steel base, prefabricated and placed into the sand, will act as a giant sandbox that collects fluid sands that help fix the structure to the ground and stay stabilized. Load-bearing walls help hold up one another while keeping pressure off the base. Dozens of triangular pedal shaped panels fan out across the structure like a lotus to provide shade and protection from the elements, including the scorching desert sun.
The project is just part of a larger desert plan by PLaT Architects, who hope to create many more buildings that will generate their own electricity and water. These future net-zero, desert compounds will truly test the sustainability of PLaT’s designs.
Images: courtesy of PLaT Architects
[via archdaily]



















