Architect and Builder Jan/Feb 2023 | Page 39

precise and seamless . The exterior is clad in an azure blue performance glazed curtain wall , mimicking the colour of the ocean . It allows uninterrupted views from inside and reflects its setting as well as providing varying moods through its curved and facetted application during different light intensities .
The form is consistent in its entirety , with a solid , translucent seamless base housing the hotel component and slots cut out facilitating the balconies of the apartments above . This reductionist approach creates a solid legible tower devoid of applied decoration , expressive in its clarity of form and texture . The western façade houses the panoramic lifts to the apartment and is clad in aluminium panels , forming two 27 storey high blades reinforcing the solidity and gravitas of the building ’ s form . This provides a visual anchor to the otherwise transparent , reflective primary form of the tower . the greater Oceans uMhlanga development , aims to elevate uMhlanga to the next level .
The design concept is inspired by the idea of moving through the different layers of the ocean and what you might encounter during that journey . The colour palette moves from the depths of the ocean with its rich , dark colours , up to the surface level which is typified by brighter colours and sunlit tones .
The design concept identified six levels of the ocean and translated that into the design language for various areas within the hotel . For example , the point of entry through the porte-cochère begins as a light and bright , sunlit area and the colour palette then moves through a graduation in tones up to the restaurant on level six , which consists of darker colours and deeper coppery highlights . Layered onto the calming base palette of neutrals
Interiors Through the development of the hotel the client wanted to bring an atmosphere of glitz and high end glamour to the beachfront resort location , which uMhlanga had not really experienced before .
Interior Design firm Source IBA was guided by standards set by Radisson Blu , which included the use of the Radisson Blu blue and certain pieces of furniture , but each hotel under the brand retains an individual aesthetic influenced very much by location . As uMhlanga is situated on the coast with beautiful beaches and has always been a popular holiday destination , the palette and look and feel of the hotel incorporates the coastal and oceanic tones and textures . The hotel , as part of
Radisson Blu 39