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Jade + QA unveils "groundscraper" hotel in Chinese quarry

Quarry hotel: Shimao Wonderland Intercontinental Hotel in China by Jade+QA

The Shimao Wonderland Intercontinental hotel has opened within a 88-metre-deep abandoned quarry near Shanghai.

Designed by London- and Shanghai based Jade + QA, the 337-room hotel descends 16 storeys below ground level within the former quarry and is described by the studio as a groundscraper.

Quarry hotel: Shimao Wonderland Intercontinental Hotel in China by Jade+QA

Architect Martin Jochman created the concept for the quarry hotel while working for Aecom and it won a competition in 2006. He later established his own studio Jade + QA, where he carried on the design.

“The concept for the building was inspired by the quarry itself and by its natural environment needing to be finely balanced with the new development following the using the Tao principles of yin yang,” Jochman told Dezeen.

Quarry hotel: Shimao Wonderland Intercontinental Hotel in China by Jade+QA

The steel-framed building is attached to a cliff face on one side of the excavated water-filled quarry, with only two storeys rising above ground level and the lowest two floors descending below the water level.

Rooms are wrapped around the walls of the quarry, with a “glass waterfall” structure containing the building’s observation lifts and giving access to all the floors.

Quarry hotel: Shimao Wonderland Intercontinental Hotel in China by Jade+QA

“There are three principal elements of the building massing derived from the character of the site and its location, said Jochman.

“The ‘green hill’; the two storey green roof covered part of the building above ground level, the ‘hanging gardens’; convex and concave S-shaped guest room wings; and the central glass ‘waterfall’.”

Quarry hotel: Shimao Wonderland Intercontinental Hotel in China by Jade+QA
Photo is by Jade+QA

The hotel’s public areas are located above and below the main rooms levels. The two storeys above ground contain the quarry hotel’s reception, a restaurant and conference facilities.

Swimming pools and further conference facilities are on the lakeside, 14 floors below ground level. The two floors below water contain a restaurant and further bedrooms, which face onto an underwater aquarium.

Quarry hotel: Shimao Wonderland Intercontinental Hotel in China by Jade+QA

The unique location of the project, combined with the structural challenge of creating a tall building that is attached to the ground at both ends, meant that the hotel has taken 12 years to design and build.

“The biggest challenge in my opinion was to satisfy the seismic and structural codes with an unprecedented building type – a tall building fixed at both ends – an inverted ‘groundscraper’,” said Jochman.

There were many other technical and operational issues associated with building in such unique and difficult location, including fire escape, safety from flooding and safety from rock fall.”

Quarry hotel: Shimao Wonderland Intercontinental Hotel in China by Jade+QA
Photo is by Jade+QA

Although this is not the first quarry to be rejuvenated and repurposed for commercial purposes, Jochman believes that the hotel could be a blueprint on how to develop other redundant industrial sites.

“We already have the Eden Project in Cornwall, or the Sunway in KL and few others, but yes the Shimao Wonderland Intercontinental is a great inspiration how to utilise difficult ‘brownfield’ site for the leisure use in a way which balances the natural and man-made environment,” he said.

Photography is by Blakstation & Kevin unless stated.

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The Nova pod is a solar-powered co-working office on wheels

Nova Work&Co mobile office pod

The Nova mobile office pod supports the flexible working needs of the modern nomad with fast wifi, a minibar and a daily changing view.

Owned by Cape Town co-working space Work & Co, the Nova pod can be transported between picturesque locations around the city and is the latest innovation in “out-of-office” work spaces.

Nova Work&Co mobile office pod

“Finding inspiration whilst still being productive was one of the strongest motivations for building Nova,” explained Work & Co co-founder Jolize Pienaar.

“Immersing yourself in different landscapes, whilst fully-equipped, enabling thought and productivity – the concept was just too attractive not to execute.”

Nova Work&Co mobile office pod

Fully fitted out with fast wifi, a smart television, an Apple TV, a printer, white board, coffee machine, mini-fridge, charging station, power points, a bathroom and running water, the pod can support a handful of digital nomads at a time.

Nova Work&Co mobile office pod

Work & Co founders Julien Verspieren and Pienaar designed the two by five-metre pod from scratch.

“It was quite a process getting all the technical aspects to work along with the look and feel I wanted,” said Pienaar to Dezeen. “It took a lot of research and thought.”

Nova Work&Co mobile office pod

The outside was designed by independent graphic designer Chris Moore, who also created the brand assets, including the pattern on the exterior of the pod and the customer station, to go along with the interior aesthetic.

The pod runs solely on solar-generated electricity, which powers the kitchen and work appliances.

“I was really involved with creating the curved wall by the kitchenette – it took a lot of trial and error but I think we got it,” explained Pienaar. “It creates a subtle illusion of space, which is what we were after.”

“The stackable windows on both sides were also crucial to execute the concept. I was focused on creating a receptive space that would let the environment in.”

Nova Work&Co mobile office pod

The wallpaper is part of the Savuti collection by Kwa’Zulu Natal-based design house Ardmore Ceramic Art.

At the moment the pod has five predetermined locations around Cape Town, offering users a range of iconic views outside the city centre.

Nova users can also arrange their own locations, and the pod can be deployed as a temporary office for events.

Nova Work&Co mobile office pod

“Innovation is something that lies very dear to our heart – the concept for Nova sort of sprouted up from discussing how I love what I do but don’t necessarily want to be confined to a physical space,” explained Pienaar.

“Cape Town is the perfect city for the concept – we are so spoilt with having the most beautifully scenic locations around the city.”

Nova Work&Co mobile office pod

Co-working space Work & Co opened in March 2016. The community comprises over 250 entrepreneurs, including local start-ups, global companies, financial technology collaborations, wine makers, architects, and advertising agencies.

Designers across the world are rethinking what the office space has to provide, and even what office furniture might look like soon.

Geoffrey Pascal has created a whimsical collection of office furniture that responds to the growing number of people working at home in their beds. The collection allows the user to work in positions that emulate being in bed.

The post The Nova pod is a solar-powered co-working office on wheels appeared first on Dezeen.