Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects has taken the idea of a structure being built “on the lake” quite literally with its recently revealed plans for a granite clubhouse and spa complex located directly on top of a lake. The 34,014-sf space will be built at the center of a lake in the southern China district of GaoYao and will eventually become an art gallery, spa, and lounge, serving residents of nearby exclusive villas, according to Dezeen.
The goal is not to make the structure look as if it is sitting on top of the lake but, instead, to make it an integrated part of the lake.
The complex will consist of three concave blocks with each block being connected to another via one of its corners. From above, the overall design looks like a giant lobster with two meaty claws, which is fitting, considering its aquatic locale. Specifically, the building will be located on the edge of a weir that controls the lake level. The only connection between the complex and the mainland will be a narrow pedestrian bridge.
The building will use its location in the center of a lake and its framed panoramic views in an effort to quickly connect visitors to the surrounding landscape. To make the most of these panoramic views, a Feng Shui expert was brought in to determine the building’s orientation within the build site and the direction of its entrances.
Due to the beauty the surrounding mountainous landscape offers, an open, column-free layout will be used in tandem with floor-to-ceiling glazing.
The building’s three parts will feature different amenities and facilities, but will be visually linked by light oak floors and gray granite walls that will be carried throughout the complex.
The complex is expected to be completed in early 2017 and is currently under construction.
Rendering: Luxigon
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
RMJM unveils design details for $1B green development in Turkey
RMJM has unveiled the design for the $1 billion Varyap Meridian development it is master planning in Istanbul, Turkey's Atasehir district, a new residential and business district. Set on a highly visible site that features panoramic views stretching from the Bosporus Strait in the west to the Sea of Marmara to the south, the 372,000-square-meter development includes a 60-story tower, 1,500 resi...
| Aug 11, 2010
San Bernardino health center doubles in size
Temecula, Calif.-based EDGE was awarded the contract for California State University San Bernardino's health center renovation and expansion. The two-phase, $4 million project was designed by RSK Associates, San Francisco, and includes an 11,000-sf, tilt-up concrete expansion—which doubles the size of the facility—and site and infrastructure work.
| Aug 11, 2010
'Feebate' program to reward green buildings in Portland, Ore.
Officials in Portland, Ore., have proposed a green building incentive program that would be the first of its kind in the U.S. Under the program, new commercial buildings, 20,000 sf or larger, that meet Oregon's state building code would be assessed a fee by the city of up to $3.46/sf. The fee would be waived for buildings that achieve LEED Silver certification from the U.
| Aug 11, 2010
Five-star resort breaks ground on the Black Sea
Construction work has commenced on a five-star resort and leisure destination along the Black Sea coast in Batumi, Georgia. The RTKL-designed resort consists of two towers rising 86 and 58 meters over a two-story podium. The larger tower contains 250 guestrooms and suites while the smaller tower offers 78 residential apartments.
| Aug 11, 2010
Outdated office tower becomes Nashville's newest boutique hotel
A 1960s office tower in Nashville, Tenn., has been converted into a 248-room, four-star boutique hotel. Designed by Earl Swensson Associates, with PowerStrip Studio as interior designer, the newly converted Hutton Hotel features 54 suites, two penthouse apartments, 13,600 sf of meeting space, and seven "cardio" rooms.
| Aug 11, 2010
New hospital expands Idaho healthcare options
Ascension Group Architects, Arlington, Texas, is designing a $150 million replacement hospital for Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello, Idaho. An existing facility will be renovated as part of the project. The new six-story, 320-000-sf complex will house 187 beds, along with an intensive care unit, a cardiovascular care unit, pediatrics, psychiatry, surgical suites, rehabilitation clinic, and ...
| Aug 11, 2010
Aloft hotel opens at Washington National Harbor
A partnership of five developers, including the John Hardy Group and Peterson Companies, have completed a 190-room aloft hotel at Washington National Harbor, a mixed-use retail/entertainment development in Oxon Hill, Md., near Washington, D.C. Designed in conjunction with David Rockwell and the Rockwell Group, the aloft prototype offers atmospheric public spaces designed to draw guests from the...
| Aug 11, 2010
D.C. gets sweeter with expanded green eatery
Greens Restaurant Group has expanded its popular salad and yogurt eatery, sweetgreen, to two neighborhoods in the Washington, D.C., area, Dupont Circle and Bethesda, Md. Designed by local architect CORE architecture + design, the experiential dining projects use salvaged hickory for the walls, wood recycled from the old bowling alleys for the tables and chairs, and sustainable paper/dye product...
| Aug 11, 2010
Manhattan's latest boutique hotel will be LEED Silver certified
New York-based developer Tribeca Associates has commissioned Brennan Beer Gorman Architects to design its latest mixed-use office and boutique hotel at 330 Hudson Street. Located in the downtown Hudson Square area of Manhattan, the LEED-Silver development will involve the redevelopment of a historic, eight-story warehouse building into 292,000 sf of office space, 15,000 sf of retail space, and ...
