Impact of new construction technologies on sustainable hotel design

Abstract

One of the important trends in contemporary design of hotels is to obtain environmental compatibility. This is manifested on the one hand in the search for the special locations of these facilities, and on the other hand - in giving them a very sophisticated, organic form. The specific location means scenically attractive site, surrounded by spectacular natural forms. These can be, for example hardly accessible mountain slopes, old abandoned quarries, desert areas, or even the sea bottom surrounded by coral reef. Until relatively recently, both the construction process and operation of hotels in such locations was extremely difficult or even impossible for technical reasons. Also, nature conservation considerations constituted a serious obstacle, because often these areas are protected by law. Technological development enables to overcome these barriers, and limitation for designers is often only imagination. This is manifested in the second-mentioned aspect of striving for environmental compatibility - organic shaping the architectural forms. During several years of development of so called free-forms in architecture, often called “the Bilbao effect”, have been developed appropriate design tools, which in combination with modern technologies open up completely new possibilities for architects. This article is an attempt to summarize the most important issues in this respect, illustrated with most characteristic examples.