Multi-Hotel Project Breaks Ground at World Expo Site

SHANGHAI—Designed by John Portman & Associates (Portman), Expo Hotel, a multi-hotel mixed-use project, has broken ground at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo site. The one-of-a-kind complex features four hotels with a total of 1,200 rooms.

Jack Portman, Portman vice chairman and chief executive officer, explains the design vision, “In lieu of designing one or two large stand-alone buildings, we proposed a dynamic cluster of four hotels joined together by an elevated, articulated platform to create a garden in the sky with an open public space at ground level where people can meet, shop, dine and simply enjoy their time.” While connected, each hotel is given its own identity and unique, with an instantly recognizable appearance.

Nature is a major design component of the large-scale project. In addition, aspects such as building orientation, waste management, lighting, and material selection, among other factors, all combine to make this development a statement for green design.

Because the site is situated in the middle of the existing Expo “axis” and convention center, it was important to provide a lively pedestrian atmosphere. Raising the hotel spaces above the platform allowed the creation of public spaces, interconnected promenades, plazas and gardens at ground level. Elevating the hotels also ensures views from every guest room.

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