Who could forget the extravagance and splendor of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China? Now several years later as part of Beijing’s “Post Olympic Commercial Strategy”, dEEP Architects was hired to design a concept for the development of an art-based hotel to be located just north of the Beijing National Stadium known as the Birds Nest. The affectionate nickname for the stadium inspired the general concept of a “nest egg” as the source of privacy for the hotel units. The design also transforms the original concourse level of the stadium into the hotel’s executive floor composed of living spaces. The steel framework of the Birds Nest portion of the design defines the private courtyard spaces that are connected to “egg villas” once again drawing context from the stadium. The surrealist artwork of Salvador Dali became the driving force for the formal fluidity of the design. dEEP Architects found it important to not only pay respects to the Olympic Dream that had passed but also give the area a dream for the future. The interior spaces of the hotel capture this dream-like state from the flowing columns to atriums and balconies, a soft and continuous gesture that makes the architectural elements appear light and relaxed despite the sense of seclusion and privacy of the hotel units. Designed from the user’s perspective, the interior layouts were determined according to individual movements, continuing to accentuate the ease of the space. The private villas and spaces connect to a closed corridor leading back to the main hotel lobby once again emphasizing the fluidity of the design. The dynamism of continuous, surrealistic space inspired by Dali was also implemented by embedding the spaces with a myriad of sensory cues from spatial sculptures, multimedia, and two-dimensional graphics to light and oder. The individual experience of the hotel is sure to amaze and awe it’s visitors, giving them privacy while also allowing their imaginations to wander through the surreal world surrounding them, proving the name of this project, “A Fluid Dream”, to be an appropriate one.
Courtesy of dEEP Architects
