Aquaponic hotel, one of three leisure concepts shortlisted for Radical Innovation Award
Three concepts have been shortlisted as finalists for the 2018 Radical Innovation Award, a hospitality design award that calls for the “best and brightest” concept ideas.
Italian practice Network of Architecture (noa*) have been shortlisted for their striking concept – a hotel designed especially for single or separated parents and their children.
With a proposed location in Sirmione, on the south coast of Lake Garda, Le Colline Incantate (the Enchanted Hills project) is described as a “specifically designed hotel to meet the physical and psychological needs” of divided families, “with comfortable and enticing zones for all ages, professional staff and carers and protected spaces.”
Conceived as a vertical garden, the design sees the building merge with the rolling landscape. Grass, flowers, shrubs and trees will overgrow the main structure and blend with the architecture, while water features will unify it with an adjacent artificial lake. According to noa*, due to the blanket of plants and water there will be no need for thermal insulation.
Facilities will include specific rooms for hosting individual sessions and group experiences for parents, their children and therapists.
Of the project, the studio said: “The social aspect of this project is of great importance. Marriage rates are declining, divorce rates are rising. Nearly 15 per cent of children living in OECD countries live in single households. Failed relationships leave children struggling to adapt to the new situations they have to confront.
“New family constellations call for new housing forms. The retreat is specifically aimed to create a place of security and tranquillity within its hills. We worked alongside psychologist Dr. Paul Hofer to develop a programme with several therapeutic proposals.”
Varinot & Varinot Architectes have also been shortlisted for their Aquaponic Experience Hotel. The concept integrates an aquaponic system for a “fully self-sufficient experience”.
Aquaponics is a symbiotic system of aquaculture whereby the waste produced by farmed fish supplies nutrients for plants in the system grown hydroponically. The plants then purify the water, creating a fully rounded sustainability process.
Varinot & Varinot created the hotel to mirror this. Rainwater is continuously recycled throughout the hotel so that the ecosystem reduces water consumption and produces it in efficient quantities.
A third leisure concept to be shortlisted was the Autonomous Travel Suite, which “integrates transportation and hospitality through a driverless, mobile suite offering door-to-door transportation service in between a traveler’s home and destination”.
Part rental car and part hotel room, The Autonomous Travel Suite is “equipped with basic sleeping, working and washroom functions, allowing guests to be most efficient and productive while optimizing travel time”.
Once scheduled online or via mobile app, the traveler receives a customised unit at their door, which is taken to a local Autonomous Hotel docking facility at the traveler’s destination, where the unit extends into a larger parent suite.
Radical Innovation Award Network of Architecture Varinot & Varinot Architectes Autonomous Travel SuiteGoCo Health Innovation City in Sweden plans to lead the world in delivering wellness and new science
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
Aman sister brand Janu launching in Tokyo in 2024 with design by Denniston's Jean-Michel Gathy
The Peninsula London unveils Peter Marino-designed spa inspired by London’s famous parks
First glimpses revealed of Mandarin Oriental, Mayfair's subterranean spa retreat
"Architecture is alive" says Ma Yansong, as Shenzhen art museum opens exhibition showcasing work of MAD Architects
From Nobu Restaurants and Ian Schrager’s latest hotel to Imagination Playgrounds and the set design for The Rocky Horror Show, US architect and designer David Rockwell always keeps it fresh. He tells us the secrets of his creativity