Namaste Tower - W Hotel | 301 m | 62 fl | U/C
Say Namaste to the Namaste tower! Designed by the Atkins design studio,
work IS currently underway on this 300m-62 storeyed mixed use tower that
will encompass a hotel, office and retail space. The location is Ambika
mills which is a couple hundred meters south of the Shangri-La hotel.
The developer of the project is unknown.
The renders and text were submitted by Atkins to the World Architecture
Festival in Barcelona (3-5 Nov 2010). Link to project page
Namaste: Hotel and Office Tower
Category: Future Projects - Commercial
Location: Mumbai, India
Architects: WS Atkins, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Atkins, United Arab Emirates
Following the long tradition of great Indian Architecture it was our aim
that the Namaste Tower will stand as a landmark structure,
representative of the burgeoning economic and cultural significance of
India. We aimed to design a building that would become representative of
the city: the picture postcard of Mumbai.
15 more images after the break...
Key Statistics:
• 120,000 m2 of Gross Construction Area
• 380 key luxury hotel
• Exclusive restaurants, bars, banqueting and spa facilities
• 9,000 m2 of A grade office space
• 6,000 m2 of world class retail space
• 300 m overall building height
“Namaste"
The traditional Indian greeting of ‘Namaste’, where the hands are
clasped together in greeting, is the inspiration for the design of this
tower. In Sanskrit “Namaste` means “I bow to you`. It has a spiritual
significance of negating one’s ego in the presence of another.
The Architecture of the Namaste Hotel builds on this ancient Indian
expression. The two wings of the hotel are clasped together like hands
greeting the city of Mumbai. In this way the architectural design of the
hotel provides the ultimate symbol of hospitality and welcome, as seen
in the as seen in the cultural context of India.
Visual Relationships to and from the Site
With a proposed height of 300 m the tower will be seen from a distance
of more than 40 km. Therefore the visual appearance of the project as a
major landmark is of great importance to the city of Mumbai.
Views from the tower will extend to the South over the Mahalkshi Race
course towards the Mumbai Peninsula and to the South West over the
Indian Ocean. The views to the north East are towards a number of
adjacent towers that are currently being constructed. The orientation
and massing of the tower have been designed in order to make the very
best of these visual relationships.
The Building Skin
The tower has been designed to cater for large scale Indian weddings.
The occasion of a Mehndi ceremony (where the hands and feet of the bride
and groom are decorated with henna) is often one of the most important
pre-wedding rituals in India.
The design seeks to build on the theme of the clasped hands by
referencing the intricate Mehndi patterns through the treatment of the
building skin. The tower is will be clad in fritted glazing that
combines to form an architectural scale graphic on the exterior of the
building. This will create a sense of transparency and depth to the
building while at the same time helping to maintain the thermal
qualities required to meet the building’s envelope design criteria.
It is proposed that the large scale canopies over the drop-off points
area support an array of solar thermal collectors. Given the available
surface area and annual sunlight conditions these have the potential to
provide 12% of the energy required to heat the hot water for the hotel.
Location (View on google maps):
Site prep underway
General Arrangement
The tower is made up of two separate wings (or hands) which together
form the architectural expression of “Namaste”. The space between the
wings forms the corridor spaces. At either end of the corridor space a
pair of open atria will offer hotel guests dramatic framed views out
over the city.
Internal Atrium Gardens
These atria also serve to bring natural light deep into the plan. At the
plant floor levels these atria are broken with internal gardens that
serve to bring greenery into the corridor and atrium spaces. It was a
central design aim to ensure that the circulation areas of the hotel,
(including corridors) are just as impressive as the rooms themselves.
The Podium
The geometry of the podium is designed to integrate fully with the
design of the tower. Thus it is a highly symmetrical form that responds
to the wing like canopies above the drop off. Containing mostly retail,
the facade of the podium is activated with water features and fountains
that cascade down to street level.
The Summit
At the summit of the building a generous quadruple height atrium space
encloses a Sky Restaurant and Bar which will provide a unique vantage
point for patrons to gain panoramic views out over the city.
Source : ritemail
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