VERTICAL FOREST TO BRANCH OUT
15 Nov 2016
The Mountain Hotel project in Guizhou, China, features a massive vertical forest running from foundation to roof, providing not only beautiful visuals but also working to improve the surrounding air quality.
Currently, vertical gardens are all the rage, but one firm has unveiled a new projected that will take the concept to the next level. The Mountain Hotel project, designed by Stefano Boeri Architetti (SBA), will sport a massive vertical forest on its building like no other.
Located in the 10 thousand peaks area, the Mountain Hotel features inside a masterplan of 400 acres in the Wanfeng Valley in Guizhou, China. This is not the first time that SBA has worked on a green design, and like the firm’s other green buildings, the Mountain Hotel will focus on sustainable architecture with a green façade. Covered in greenery from the foundation to the roof, the project is designed to improve the quality of the air around it.
Set across an area of 31,200m2, this green hotel will feature 250 rooms and a range of services and amenities, such as a gym, lounge, VIP area, bar, restaurant, and conference room. Interior designs will be the result a collaboration with local artist Simon Ma.
The hotel was inspired by the site's original topography and ecosystem, according to the Stefano Boeri Architetti website, which states, "the design aims to restore the landscape, by reconstructing a former existing hill that was flattened years ago, in this way emulating the past and present hills together."
"Symbiosis is the goal. Sustainability not only depends on energy conservation, but on a wider biodiversity. The symbiosis between man, architecture and nature is the real sustainability."
A $20 billion high-speed railway completed in 2014, which cut travel time from the nearest major city to Guizhou from 20 hours down to four, has provided greater accessibility to the area, increasing the prospects for tourism. And, with The New York Times naming the Guizhou region one of “52 Places to Go in 2016”, tourist traffic in the area is predicted to rise.
“It’s [the hotel] a symbol of restitution,” project architect Stefano Boeri told TIME magazine. “Buildings have to take care of nature.”
The Mountain Hotel is scheduled to open fall of 2017