Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo to create 'salmon-friendly' hotel for Marina Developments Ltd
Design firm Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo (WATG) has been selected by Marina Developments Ltd to design a 70 million euro mixed-use waterfront development that will include a 15-storey 225-room five-star hotel on a promontory into Southampton Marina.
Sustainability is a key goal for this project. Sea water will be used to chill ceilings within guestrooms, resulting in lower carbon emissions than the use of conventional air conditioning systems.
Heat from conventional systems can raise the temperature of surrounding waters and significantly harm marine life. "In this particular body of water, there is a salmon migration route nearby, and salmon are especially susceptible to temperature increases in their environment," said Del Simon, WATG project architect. "Filtered water extracted from the marina will be used to cool the ceilings in the guestrooms. It's a quiet and elegant solution that is not only good for the environment but also saves the client money and reduces the need for maintenance."
The hotel will be operated by Millenium & Copthorne. A spacious two-storey lobby will draw the public into the hotel, and the development will have a restaurant, cafe, bar, and a spa. Also included will be conference facilities for more than 700 and an external events piazza.
Work is intended to begin on the site before the end of the year, with the hotel and events piazza ready for use in the autumn of 2008.
Other WATG projects currently underway include architectural services to a 4.5m ft2 expansion of the existing Wynn Las Vegas Resort, to be called 'Encore at Wynn Las Vegas'.
It will comprise a new 48-storey hotel tower with 2,054 rooms, as well as a new four-storey structure containing all public areas including hotel registration, 72,000ft2 casino, meeting rooms, retail shops, restaurants, and nightclubs.
The company has also been hired by The Trump Organization to design a £300m golf resort on an 800-acre site at Menie Estate near Aberdeen, Scotland.
The resort, called Trump International Golf Links, Scotland, will include two championship golf courses, a 450-room five-star hotel, 10,000ft2 conference center, 650 holiday homes, 20,000ft2 golf clubhouse, and a spa.The design theme of the facilities will be inspired by Victorian vernacular, a signature style of WATG. "WATG takes great pride in helping clients create the world's most successful destinations and looks forward to the opportunity of working on such a significant project," said John Page, business development manager for WATG.
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