Architecture firm HAADS (Hayri Atak Architectural Design Studio) has designed another building that rotates! But this one is also mobile and floating, featuring tidal sustainability mechanisms in addition to wind and solar energy. The project is an eco-floating hotel in Qatar that spans over 376,000 sq ft (35,000 sq m) and houses 152 rooms.
The revolving effect makes sure guests get all the best views throughout their stay. It won’t spin fast, taking a whole 24 hours to complete a single revolution. So guests won’t feel the movement and can enjoy the amenities like the pool, spa, gym, and mini-golf, with a new view every time and without getting dizzy. Each room comes with its own balcony to offer every guest the luxury of different perspectives as the building rotates slowly.
The building is a giant glass donut-shaped structure with a lush green cover on the exterior, a vast vortex-like glass roof, and a mesmerizing indoor waterfall. Sustainability plays a prime role here, so all the design details are based around it. For example, the roof’s vortex shape serves to collect rainwater for irrigation and other uses. The greenery will help in maintaining the flow of fresh air and regulating the temperature.
All the hotel’s electricity needs will come from clean energy sources: wind turbines, solar panels, and a tidal energy system. The building will even harness the rotational movement of the hotel for energy similar to a dynamo. The hotel will also purify seawater to save on freshwater needs and be self-sufficient, and it will treat the wastewater it produces – all, so it doesn’t harm the environment.
Meanwhile, the design team is developing waste separation units to isolate what can be used as fertilizer in the landscape and efficiency. They aim to recycle everything, even food waste.
The hotel will use a unique green energy production method called vawtau (vertical axis wind turbine and umbrella) to benefit from maintaining ecological balance. The Vawtau works as a wind turbine on the vertical axis, but it also functions as a sun umbrella on the coastal band. One vawtau module can generate up to 25 kW of electrical energy, and there will be 55 in operation. Vawtau uses wind flow created by temperature difference in land and sea as its working principle.
The hotel will be accessible by boat via the 140-degree connecting pier or helicopter. It won’t be connected directly to the mainland; it will be located off the shore on a series of floating platforms.
While the hotel is based in Qatar, the architects designed it to be taken to different places thanks to its mobile features. The team explained:
Our team is working and studying with technical consultants and experts from different fields. This project adopts the motto of minimum energy loss and zero waste as a principle according to the design approach it has put forward. Due to its characteristic moving feature, it generates electrical energy by rotating around its position according to the water flow and provides users with different perspective experiences.
HAADS got its inspiration for this project from whirlpools in the sea.
The firm is currently still working on feasibility and technical studies but hopes the hotel will be ready by 2025.