While the pursuit of sustainability is often accompanied by humourless earnestness, WOHA shows that it prefers to stand apart. This Oasia Hotel, which is part of an eponymous chain, combines sustainability with delight, two terms that are prominently present in the office’ s design philosophy.
Aside from the red façade – soon to be completely green – the sky gardens also offer greenery, fresh air, and opportunities for natural cross-ventilation, as well as representing the most visibly sustainable and delightful, aspects of the building.
The sky gardens came about in response to the client’ s brief, which asked for distinct parts in the hotel. Given the small footprint, WOHA adopted what they call‘ a club sandwich approach by creating a series of different strata, each with its own sky garden.’ Introducing these sky gardens, which WOHA describes as‘ elevated ground levels’, allowed‘ the precious but limited ground floor space to be multiplied, creating generous public areas for recreation and social interaction throughout the high-rise.’
While WOHA can be credited for the architecture of the tower itself and the concept of stacking layers, the actual design of the sky gardens is the work of Spanish designer and architect Patricia Urquiola, who was responsible for all interiors as well as the outdoor spaces of the hotel. Urquiola adds a breezy elegance to WOHA’ s delightfully quirky architecture.
For the pools on the 21st and 27th floor, she has used AGROB BUCHTAL tiles from the Chroma series. Each pool has a different character. The pool on the sixth floor is part of a gym; on the 21th floor, the pool acts as a stylish extension of the lounge club.
THE TOWER, WHICH HAS A HEIGHT OF 190 METRES, CONTAINS FOUR LARGE OUTDOOR SPACES: THREE ENORMOUS VERANDAS ON THE 6TH, 12TH, AND 21ST FLOOR, AS WELL AS A ROOF TERRACE ON 27TH FLOOR.
Page 151- Archetech