Projects: Large Hotel

Staff -- Interior Design, 12/1/2011 2:00:00 AM

Winner: WOHA
Project: Intercontinental Sanya Resort
Location: China

On tropical Hainan Island in the South China Sea, founding director Richard Hassell both embraced and mitigated the climate-including a typhoon season. A 10-story S-shape building contains the reception area, with its window screens based on traditional Chinese forms, as well as restaurants, meeting rooms, swimming pools, etc. Upstairs are a third of the 350 guest rooms. A breeze­way with views of the island's central mountains leads to the suites. They're laid out in two U shapes embracing vast courtyards inspired by rice paddies, with the water flowing between planted islands and private cabanas. On the dry land outside the U shapes, the suites' open-air showers are scented by frangipani and surrounded on three sides by granite. The fourth side, clear glass, connects to the bathroom proper. In addition to the spalike suites, there's of course a spa. It's replete with nine whirlpool cocoons. All shimmer with mosaic tile, illuminated by underwater halogen fixtures, and each offers a different hydrotherapy function. 

Merit: Handel Architects
Project: Dream Downtown
Location: New York

Screening the facade with perforated stainless steel helped transform a 1960's high-rise by Albert C. Ledner into the standard-bearer for the Dream brand.

Merit: Rockwell Group and Softroom Architects
Project: Yotel
Location: New York

The exterior's geometric modules of precast concrete introduce the airport-themed reception area, while the
fourth-floor sky lobby fea­­tures modular seating.

Merit: Yabu Pushelberg
Project: Modern
Location: Honolulu

An installation of 100 broken surfboards, mounted behind the sculpted plywood reception desks, offers­ an updated take on tropical-modern.