Tuesday, January 22, 2008

National Conference Centre Hotel - Shay Cleary Architects


Archiseek News


The Spencer Dock Development Company has lodged a planning application for a thirty five-story hotel, which will be part of the National Conference Centre complex on Dublin’s North Wall Quay. The proposed hotel will be a landmark indicator of the Conference Centre both locally and in a citywide context.

Speaking today Chairman of the Convention Centre Dublin, Mr. Dermod Dwyer said: "The development of the hotel has always been a central part of the overall plan for the National Conference Centre. It’s estimated that 200 events will be held each year in the NCC and with an iconic hotel as part of the NCC there is potential for many additional international conferences. World-class services and accommodation facilities will be a key driver in the success of Ireland’s National Conference Centre"

"Given the international role of the conference centre, and in turn the hotel, it was crucial that the architecture be of a commensurably high quality. This is why the architectural brief placed sustainability and sophisticated design architecture as a central requirement. The hotel brief has been developed in conjunction with the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company who operate the recently opened Ritz-Carlton Powerscourt."

The architect of the hotel is the well known Dublin practice – Shay Cleary Architects. Commenting on the leading edge architecture of the new hotel, Mr. Cleary said: "The form of the tower is that of a simple pristine rectangular glazed enclosure. Within this formal concept, complexity and architectural richness is achieved through the proposition of a "building within a building" The general public spaces of the hotel occupy the first five floors. The remainder of the hotel comprises hotel rooms, a fitness centre & spa, hotel suites, clubs, lounges, meeting rooms and winter gardens".

The professional team comprises of: Shay Cleary Architects; O’Connor Sutton Cronin structural and civil engineers; McArdle McSweeney mechanical and electrical engineers; Bruce Shaw as quantity surveyors and project managers; Moylan traffic consultants; and John Spain Associates, planning and development consultants.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Zaha Hadid designs Lilium Tower in Poland



Zaha Hadid designs the Lilium Tower in Poland

The proposed addition to the Warsaw skyline is a light, transparent structure with a strong sense of identity and character. Rising to a height of 240 meters, the tower’s slender form complements the Palace of Culture and other towers in the vicinity, creating its own distinctive profi le within an emerging cluster of tall buildings. With a gross area of 101,205m2 the tower comprises of 72,027m2 of leasable area; consisting of luxury residential apartments and an apartment hotel. The scheme also offers positive gains to the public realm by improving the existing public space on the lower ground level. The scheme is notable for its progressive energy strategy. The low-energy services are designed to cope with the extremes of the local climate. The design of the Lilium Tower also reflects the economic importance of structure in relation to a tower of this height. A central core forms the backbone of the structure. Whilst this arrangement is highly economical it offers uninterrupted views of Warsaw in all directions. The composition of the Lilium Tower creates a progressive and prestigious residential building for the 21st century. By avoiding sterile repetition a clear identity is established through its dynamic, ever-changing appearance. The Lilium Tower comprises of an apartment hotel, residential apartments, spa facilities, underground retail area with an adjacent exterior mall, restaurant, and underground parking. On the ground floor, four separate lobbies enable distinct access to the hotel, apartments, restaurant and delivery area.