Grand Hyatt Dalian China : Architecture Information

GOETTSCH PARTNERS DESIGNS GRAND HYATT DALIAN New mixed-use tower responds to city's windy climate CHICAGO - (June 22, 2009) - Goettsch Partners (GP) has been commissioned by Hong Kong-based developer China Resources Land Limited to design a new 1,075,300-square-foot tower in China's northeastern coastal city of Dalian. The project features a 377-key Grand Hyatt hotel, 84 serviced apartments, three restaurants including a destination rooftop venue, multiple ballrooms and meeting facilities, a spa and fitness center, and parking for 225 cars. Sited fronting the Yellow Sea and adjacent to the large public park of Xinghai Square, the 620-foot-tall mixed-use building responds to both its physical and environmental context. Primarily clad in high-performance glazing that features horizontal sunshades along all southern exposures, the tower's triangular plan is designed to ensure that all rooms receive southern light as well as views of the sea and nearby mountain ranges. Additionally, the triangular form helps to minimize the structural impact of uniquely high wind forces found on the Dalian coastline. The tower's rounded corners accelerate the wind speeds at these locations, propelling the building's nearly 300 linear meters of wind rotors that are expected to produce electricity year-round. Vertical-axis turbines were chosen for their low-maintenance, bird-safe, quiet and vibration-free operation. Programmatically, the hotel floors are stacked below the serviced apartment levels, enabling the core to telescope and creating the architectural "portal" along the north façade. Internal circulation is exposed on this face to provide corridors with natural daylight and views of the skyline, as well as to assure a consistent lighting profile at night. The top two levels of the tower house the signature restaurant, offering unobstructed views in all directions. The tower sits atop a four-level podium that houses large banquet, meeting, dining, fitness and spa facilities. The main dining facility connects the building physically to its beachfront location while other functions, including the entry plaza and lobby, are elevated to capture commanding views of the bay and adjacent park. The fitness center and spa open out to a series of south-facing terraces, which provide both afternoon sun and a visceral connection to the sea. The project is currently in the design development phase and is scheduled for completion in 2011. Goettsch Partners is a Chicago-based architecture firm providing innovative architectural, interior, planning and building enclosure design services. With additional offices in Shanghai and Abu Dhabi, the firm's work spans four continents. Recently completed projects include premier office towers in Beijing, Chicago and Shanghai, and luxury business hotels in China, India and the United States. Select current projects include the 25-story vertical addition to Chicago's 300 East Randolph, the headquarters of Health Care Service Corporation and its Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois division; Northwestern University's new signature music building in Evanston, Illinois; the China Diamond Exchange Center in Shanghai, a 214-room Wyndham hotel in the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and a 3 million-square-foot office development in Abu Dhabi that features the headquarters building of the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange. Grand Hyatt Dalian Hotel images / information from Goettsch Partners