CRAZY DESIGNED HOTEL!

Burj Khalifa (Formerly Burj Dubai) Opens Officially

Future Buildings | 06. Jan, 2010 by HD Staff | 1 Comment

The building is complete and the height has been revealed. The tallest man made structure that has ever been built is 828 m (2,717 ft) tall and is now called the Burj Khalifa. The height of the tower, which was one of the most closely guarded secrets during construction, was flashed onto a giant screen during the inauguration before a 400,000 strong crowd. Estimated to cost around Rs.6900 crores (US $1.5 Billion) the building was officially inaugurated on January 4th amidst flashy fireworks and much fanfare.

Wikipedia lists these as the records currently being held by Burj Khalifa:

Tallest skyscraper to top of spire: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previously Taipei 101 – 509.2 m (1,671 ft))
Tallest structure ever built: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previously Warsaw radio mast – 646.38 m (2,121 ft))
Tallest extant structure: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previously KVLY-TV mast – 628.8 m (2,063 ft))
Tallest freestanding structure: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previously CN Tower – 553.3 m (1,815 ft))
Building with most floors: 160 (previously Willis Tower – 108)
World’s highest elevator installation
World’s fastest elevators at speed of 64 km/h (40 mph) or 18 m/s (59 ft/s) (previously Taipei 101 – 16.83 m/s)
Highest vertical concrete pumping (for a building): 606 m (1,988 ft) (previously Taipei 101 – 449.2 m (1,474 ft))
Highest vertical concrete pumping (for any construction): 606 m (1,988 ft) (previously Riva del Garda Hydroelectric Power Plant – 532 m (1,745 ft) )
The first world’s tallest structure in history to include residential space
Highest outdoor observation deck in the world
World’s highest mosque (located on the 158th floor)
World’s highest installation of an aluminium and glass façade, at a height of 512 m (1,680 ft)
World’s highest swimming pool (76th floor)

Architect for this engineering marvel was Skidmore, Owings and Merrill,

CRAZY DESIGNED HOTEL!

Amazing Concept Buildings

Future Buildings | 18. Oct, 2008 by HD Staff | 10 Comments

Though we usually concentrate our attention on interior design, every now and then we take a look at innovative ideas in architecture that could become part of tomorrow’s homes. It is for featuring these ideas we have the Future Buildings section on our blog.
Some of the ideas featured below are a bit far-fetched and exist only in visualizers dreams, some maybe in the making and some of the buildings may already exist now.

1. Lilypad Island

This may fall in the first category we mentioned above, but the sheer audacity in dreaming up such a project needs to be applauded. Architects like Vincent Callebaut really push imagination and creativity.

According to forecasts of the GIEC (Intergovernmental group on the evolution of the climate), the ocean level should rise from 20 to 90 cm during the 21st Century with a status quo by 50 cm (versus 10 cm in the 20th Century). Award-winning Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut visions Lilypad as a permanent refuge for those whose homes have been submerged in water due to ocean rise caused due to global warming.
The ‘Lilypad City’ can house 50,000 inhabitants and would float around the world as an independent and fully self-sutainable luxurious super home. With lakes, artificial mountains for scenery, solar panels, wind tunnels and powerstations to harness wave energy, and no roads and no cars, Lilypad looks one clean green mega city.

2. Dynamic Architecture – Rotating Tower

Bored with seeing the same scenery everytime you look out of the window? Check out the Rotating Tower by David Fischer which is a building in which each floor has the capability to rotate on its axis and face a different direction according to the resident’s preferences. In addition the building is able to produce its own energy from wind. Check out the video here:(Our email subscribers please visit: http://www.home-designing.com/2008/10/concept-architecture to view the video)
Thinking about booking a room here in advance? Here you go… (Something tells us it just maybe a bit expensive than your ordinary villa )

3. Nakheel Tower

You might have read about Burj Dubai Tower which currently is the tallest man made structure in the world and is expected to be of 818m height on completion but even that would be dwarfed when the Nakheel Tower (formerly called Al Burj) comes into being with a staggering height of 1.4 km (1400m)!

4. Songjiang Hotel

The beauty of this hotel is the way in which it negotiates the rugged terrain. The challenge involved designing a sustainable hotel in a quarry. See image below:

The hotel uses geothermal energy for electricity and heat, a green roof, and natural cooling properties of the quarry itself and yeah, Bungee jumping for guests!
You got to say Atkins did an awesome job. In case you are rubbing your chin thinking that the name does sound familiar, these are the guys who built the Burj Al Arab.

5. The Basket Building

The Longaberger Company is an American manufacturer of handcrafted maple wood baskets and offers other home and lifestyle products, including pottery, wrought iron, fabric accessories and specialty foods. Dave Longaberger believed the idea of shaping the office in the form of a bag would draw attention to the company, while simultaneously helping to build our brand.

6. Infosys Building, Kuwait

The proposed Infosys building in Kuwaits reminds us of DNA strands interlocked togethor. We are told the building would keep rotating.

7. Galactic Suite Space Hotel, International

CRAZY DESIGNED HOTEL!

Abraj Al Bait – New Behemoth Mega Hotel in Mecca

General | 29. Oct, 2009 by HD Staff | 0 Comments

Mecca will soon be home to a 3 Billion dollar hotel which will house a chocolate room for those with a sweet tooth, 24 hour butler service for those who cannot imagine life without help and beauty salons for people to get decked up in before they offer their prayers!
Estimated to stand at 1,591 feet on completion of construction, this mega structure will hold four of the largest clocks in the world – each five times the size of the Big Ben!
5 royal floors, 2 golden floors, 1,500,000 sq meters of floor space, size equal to 271 American football fields, 76 elevators and over 1000 suits only begin to describe the enormity of this under-construction project.
For those who may be curious, this hotel is designed by Dar Al-Handasah.

Infographics by Menainfra

CRAZY DESIGNED HOTEL!

5.7 Billion dollar resort that houses a 55 story high infinity pool

Future Buildings | 25. Jun, 2010 by HD Staff | 5 Comments

With stunning views all around and sporting a 150m long infinity swimming pool set on top of the world’s largest public cantilevered platform, the Marina Bay Sands hotel opened up to much fanfare on June 23rd in Singapore.

Designed by Moshe Safdie, this hotel has several features you won’t find in an ordinary hotel.

Hotel
– 2,560 luxury rooms in three hotel towers, totaling 265,683 square meters (2,860,000 square feet)
Sands SkyPark
–the three hotel towers are connected at the top (200 meters/656 feet) by a 9,941 square meter (107,000 square foot) park that brings together a public observatory, jogging paths, gardens, restaurants, lounges, and an infinity swimming pool
- This 1.2 hectare (3 acre) tropical oasis is longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall and large enough to park four-and-a-half A380 jumbo jets
- It spans from tower to tower and cantilevers 65 meters (213 feet) beyond to form one of the world’s largest public cantilevers
- It is 340 meters (1,115 feet) long from the northern tip to the south end
- The park’s maximum width is 40 meters (131 feet)
- The 1,396 square meter (15,026 square foot) swimming pool is the largest outdoor pool at its height and has a 145 meter (475 foot) vanishing edge
- The entire park can host up to 3,900 people
- Its lush gardens include 250 trees and 650 plants
Casino
– the “atrium style” casino features four levels of gaming and entertainment in one space totaling 15,000 square meters (161,500 square feet) with the atrium ceiling holding a 7 ton chandelier with 132,000 Swarovski crystals and 66,000 LEDs

CRAZY DESIGNED HOTEL!

Design of Helix Hotel, Abu Dhabi

Future Buildings | 18. Apr, 2009 by HD Staff | 4 Comments

An invitation-only competetion was recently held where many eminent architects pitched in their concepts for the Helix Hotel in Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Bay. Leeser Architects won the competetion and here is their winning design.

A peculiarity of this concept hotel design is that doesn’t have floors like we’re used to – instead it spirals in sections of a corkscrew from top to bottom with no clear breaks, flowing from retail to residential, and hotel suites to saunas. The design promises to make maximum use of renewable sources of energy like sun, wind, and ocean water while keeping guests comfortable in all 208 rooms.

CRAZY DESIGNED HOTEL! WHERE THEY GET THE MONEY FOR THIS??? HMM

Hotel de Glace: Ice Hotel, Canada

Non-Residential | 13. Aug, 2009 by viv | 5 Comments

We have featured sets of some fairly bizarre hotel rooms before. But ever heard of a hotel made entirely of ice? Or one with with a stipulated lifespan? Hotel de Glace near Quebec City, Canada happens to be the first ice hotel of North America. The hotel has been described as a tourist hotspot (coldspot would have suited better) and is backed by Quebec’s tourism department.


The hotel is erected each January and has a four-month lifespan each year before being brought down in April. It takes about a month and a half to build with 60 workers. The hotel makes its own snow using a special mixture to adjust the humidity. The hotel is made of 15,000 tons of snow and 500,000 tons of ice and the walls are up to four-feet thick.




Amenities include a nightclub, movie theater, an Ice Café, indoor heated washrooms and outdoor hot tubs. There is also a chapel where weddings are celebrated. The Ice Hotel has been described as one of the “10 dream wedding locations”.