W2 Architects

The three egg shaped tower, on the mountains of Ninghai near Ningbo city, tries to emulate the notion of nature and mountainous terrain as an alternative to human habitation. To be built specifically, as a hotel and residential tower, it is expected to deliver supreme living pleasure and comfort amidst august natural surroundings. Geometrically, the tower profile starts from a simple rounded square and travels upwards to be transformed into a circular geometry. This gradual, deformation and eventual transformation of profile, creates a visual voyage, encumbered with ambiguity yet uniformity. The tower also, conserves building energy levels and makes sure highest comfort level for its end users for each season of the year. The mechanism of protection from outside is achieved by subdivision of tower external skin into two strictly demarcated zones, north and south façade. Acting contrary to ideal ideas, external protection has been rendered by trying to invite more of nature into the building. While the north, is more relaxed in terms of sun exposure and confirms diffuse light, along with scintillating view of the artificial lake right in front of the towers, its been allowed to cantilever hanging balconies throughout the face. This zone also boasts of inclusion of an highly reflective mirror like surface set in a specific angle to not only reflect nature back on to the tower from outside, but also, allow the resident view the reflected view of the mesmerizing lake from inside the room. The more delicate end of the tower is definitively, the southern façade which faces, direct sun glare and sun shine throughout the year. This part is allowed to build a trombe wall on its surface for intricate heat storage and dissipation inside during winter nights, which drastically curtails, heating load. Also, regular louvers and adequate floor slab projection outside protects from high summer sun glare and heat. The hanging balconies on the northern part of the tower, forms its place is little planter box projections which makes the building go green in its true essence. The building highlights and celebrates the nature by bringing it right inside up to its core, by allowing centrally designed atrium space, which is 200m in depth. An operable skylight and vent system on top of the tower ensures that the building lives and breathes by ventilating fresh air in and out