BORA HOTSPARESORT BY FRANCHI & DANNENBERG ARCHITECTURE

On May 1st 2013 an innovative hotel concept, the BORA HotSpaResort opens its doors to the public, a first class hotel located in an exclusive position on the west bank of lake Constance in Radolfzell.

The four star designer Hotel with 84 rooms and suites is the first of its kind in Germany conceived according to a holistic concept of a Hot Spa. In this wellness world guests experience warmth in all its facets. 

The future HotSpa arises from the already existing BORA sauna world with direct access to the lake and idyllic lawns for relaxation.

It is equipped with Finnish, Ground and Smoke saunas, plus a Kelo sauna. A Sanarium,  a steam bath and a unique Japanese Onsen bath, also the first of its kind in Germany, is the finishing touch to the Hot Spa. 

Natural and premium-quality materials such oak wood and linen were widely used in the modern architecture and elegant interior design of the BORA Hot Spa Resort. Unusual colour concepts play with contrasts of subtle and warmly radiating colours.

The hotel has, besides a restaurant, a fully glassed Sky Lounge which boasts a phenomenal 180° lake view.

In addition two seminar rooms and a working group room provide professional surroundings for meetings and trainings. 

The bora HotSpaResort is ideally located, lying on the west bank of Lake Constance in Radolfzell. The combination of an exclusive resort with a highly modern Hot Spa provides the hotel on one hand with the possibility of peace and quiet and a place to relax .

The Radolfzell and the lake Constance region offer many opportunities for organizing your free time. These range from simply switching off and relaxing to a multitude of places to see and things to do in the surrounding area.

Be it water sports like swimming, surfing, sailing or simply going for walks in the beautiful countryside, from bycycle tours around the lake to playing a round of golf, there is something for everyone.

Location: Radolfszell, Germany

Architects: Franchi & DannenbergArchitecture

Cooperation: Christina Biasi-von Berg, Biquadra/Meran

Project Team: Bruno Franchi, Michelangelo Pavia and Stefan Horn

Interior project: Biquadra/Meran

Year: 2013

Client: bora HotSpaResort

GRAFT WINS MOUNTAIN RESORT COMPETITION

GRAFT, in collaboration with engineering firm Buro Happold, has won first place in a competition to design a “premium common good resort” in Lofer, Austria.

“Building in the Alps means building within a proud cultural landscape and its deep-rooted identity,” GRAFT stated. “Therefore the design must shape the link between old and new while keeping the balance between nostalgia and change.”

“All buildings are innovative architectural sculptures that are reminiscent of the traditional larch facades and the history of the local timber constructions.” Each respond uniquely to the “urban genius loci,” while “each distinct transformation of the local gabled roof allows a full-scale adjustment to the surrounding village context.”

The resort will include a hotel complex, staff building, workshop based on “the economy for the common good,” “café villa” and a premium residence area. GRAFT’s design was highly lauded by both the client and locals, all of whom were fully involved in the decision process.

“The building is designed to meet the needs of a hotel without harming soil, air or water. Energy and water consumption is minimized through the “lean -mean- green” strategy, where modern technologies and renewable energy sources come into use. Apart from the ideal use of rain, snow and sun, also the façade and the building measure up to specific sustainability criteria” says the architects.

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.