For those looking for new experiences through ecotourism, here we show you an innovative hotel resort that is currently under construction – The Lotus Hotel. Targeting and promoting sustainable architecture in desert, the stunning new Lotus Hotel is one of the recent work of Beijing-based architecture firm PLaT Architects, which is being built in the heart of Xiangshawan Desert, part of the Gobi Desert, one of the world’s great deserts that covers much of the southern Mongolia.
The site is at 800km west of Beijing and between Ordos and Baotou, facing the Hantai River, a branch of Yellow River, and east to Kubuqi Desert that more than 200km wide, a location where you’d never expect for such a construction. Quite unusual, isn’t it? If until now we were used to remarkable architectural developments aimed to add many kilometers of beaches to the city of Dubai, it looks like desert is a new destination to plan urban developments. This complex is only one part of Xiangshawan Desert planning.
Constructed on a 30,000 sqm arid area, the secluded Lotus Hotel looks like a ship floating on the sand, where the architects used the art of repeating the same elements which is the traditional Chinese idea of ‘Zhen’. A series of triangles are created by the rotation of squares in the same angle resulting a beautiful lotus flower- shaped building that showcases a new structural system designed to adapt the desert special geographic conditions. It’s a clever concrete-free construction that is fixed into the fluid sand using only pre-fabricated steel elements for its exterior and eco-friendly local materials for the interior design in order to make the structure stable in the unstable sandy conditions, while offering guests a truly unique experience of desert.
For instance, the surrounding sand was used as material for wall coverings and the lobby’s floor. The unconventional hotel’s structure has a tiered system that provides white shades and under passages to shield visitors from the blazing desert sun. This interesting project aimes to be a sustainable construction with zero impact on the environment that produce its own electricity and get its own water. Take a look at some photos.
Photos © PLaT Architects; source @archdaily.com