DAWANG MOUNTAIN RESORT CHANGSHA BY COOP HIMMELB(L)AU

The building volume is integrated into a beautiful landscape scenery and positioned directly on top of a historical cement mining quarry pit and lake. In the design solution towards the South and East, the existing quarry pit is revealed and the sculpted shell of the Snow and Ice World spans 170 meters from cliff to cliff over a sunken and hanging garden creating a new functional leisure space of islands, water, cliffside pathways and ramps connecting the building to this natural heritage.

This unique framed open space in between architecture and landscape is also characterized through an impressive central glass cone providing controlled natural daylight down through the Ice World structure and on to the islands and water surfaces. A cantilevered outdoor swimming pool is part of the Water Park attractions and creates a 60m high waterfall into the quarry pit.

From the inside the leisure functions of the Snow and Ice World engage the space of the quarry pit with views through large glass façades to the natural cliff faces and hanging gardens, also with overviews to the water pools and islands below. At the same time visitors walking or standing on the Cliffside Pathways can also look into the building through the transparent façade; hence an interactive visual contact with the interior of the Snow and Ice World is created establishing more excitement and maximizing the existing value of the industrial heritage. 

 
A separate sculptural 100m high tower on the South end of the site hosts a 5 Star-Hotel and is connected to the Ice World via a Grand Garden Plaza. Arriving from the city of Changsha over Pingtang Avenue, the Hotel tower will be the most significant iconic landmark for the entire Dawang Mountain Tourism Resort Center. It offers 270 high-class single and double bed suites, 60 Executive Suites with an Executive Club Lounge and a 6-room Presidential Suite, all with impressive views to Tongxi Lake, Dawang Mountain and into the Ice & Snow World.

A spacious central Lobby around the tower core opens up into the service plinth containing a bar and restaurant on level one, flexible and multifunctional conference areas on level two and the fitness and spa and beauty facilities on level three. The façade of the Fashion Hotel Tower is a specially designed, highly economical system providing state-of-the-art sun shading, natural ventilation and a unitzed, quick construction. The element façade system offers a maximum of flexibility to the inside room layout and allows a homogeneous appearance over the exterior façade.

Location: Changsha, China

Architect: COOPHIMMELB(L)AU

Design Principal: Wolf D. Prix

Senior Project Partner: Markus Prossnigg

Executive Coordinator: Lei Feng

Project Architect: Angus Schoenberger

Design Architect: Quirin Krumbholz

Project Team: Tyler Bornstein, Laura Ghita, Crystal K.H Tang, Xinyu Wan, Paul Challis, Veronika Janovska, Sorena Dumitru, Philipp Scherl

Structural Engineering: B+G Ingenieure / Bollinger und Grohmann Gmbh, Prof. Klaus Bollinger

MEP / HVAC: Buro Happold Ltd, Bath,UK, Steve Macey(Competition Phase)

Site Area: 150,000 m2

Year: 2013

Client: Changsha Xiandao Land Development and Construction Co., Ltd.