Construction is underway on a new hotel in Yangzhou, China, but rather than the usual sleek, shiny tower approach, this one harks back to the more refined 7th century.
Designed in the style of the Tang dynasty (618-907 BCE), the hotel, to be operated under the Indigo boutique brand of InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG), will have 122 guest rooms.
The Tang era is considered one of the more civilised in China’s feudal past, featuring an expansion in architecture and the arts, and the celebration of refined leisure activities among the ruling classes.
It will cover a total floor area of 18,000 sq m, split between a 9,142-sq-m three-storey tower and an 8,505-sq-m basement.
UK-based engineering consultant Mott MacDonald is acting as mechanical, electrical and plumbing consultant on the project on behalf of Yangzhou Wansheng Industry.
"IHG are targeting this project for their green standard, so sustainable features such as energy recycling, LED lighting and ground source heat pumps are to be incorporated into the project’s final design," said Jie Cheng, Mott MacDonald’s project director.
The hotel is due to be completed in the third quarter of 2017.