By Aliyah Thomas KC'S BLOG • • • • • 0 Comments

Modern Marvel: Morpheus Hotel

The Morpheus Hotel in Macau, China. Photo courtesy of Ivan Dupont.
Zaha Hadid's Morpheus Hotel. Photos courtesy of Virgile Simon Bertrand.
The interior of the Morpheus Hotel. Photos courtesy of Virgile Simon Bertrand

Featuring the self-proclaimed “world’s first free-form high-rise exoskeleton,” Melco Resorts and Entertainment’s Morpheus Hotel in Macau, China officially opened for business as of June 15, 2018.

The hotel was designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, spearheaded by the late Dame Zaha Hadid who passed away in 2016. According to South China Morning Post, Hadid’s partner Patrik Schumacher is the new principal of the practice and led the effort to finish the Morpheus Hotel.

With 147,860 square miles of space across all 42 stories of the building, the Morpheus Hotel has over 770 guest rooms, suites, and sky villas, but what really stands out as an engineering marvel is its exoskeleton. Supported by two central towers that connect at the ground and roof, the exoskeleton acts as a strengthened mesh around the building. Additionally, the center of the building has a portion of negative space, where a series of bridges connect each tower (for extra support as well as to provide a unique space for restaurants, bars, and guest lounges).

Moving inside, the internal layout of the building is deeply affected by the external design. With the ability to take on gravitational and lateral loads, the exoskeleton eliminates any need for internal structural support, allowing for open, uninterrupted space – maximizing the building’s interior. The central atrium extends upward the entire height of the building, allowing guests to see exposed space without their view obstructed by support beams.

In addition to high-performance glazing that helps minimize solar gain, the ridging of the exoskeleton also provides shading, allowing the hotel to localize air conditioning only to zones used by staff and guests rather than cooling the whole atrium.[6]

According to Viviana Muscettola, ZHA’s project director, “The expertise of all members of the Morpheus team has created new possibilities for architecture. The comprehensive parametric model combined all of the hotel’s aesthetic, structural, and fabrication requirements and will radically change how our built environment is planned and constructed.”

By Decire Gonzalez KC'S BLOG • • • • • • 0 Comments

Orange County Veterans Memorial Cemetery Project

KC, in conjunction with Behan Planning and Design, developed a master plan for the Orange County Veterans Memorial Cemetery as well as provided architectural design and engineering for pavilions, lighting, landscaping, and a plot locator.

The KC team analyzed the layout of the site and developed a master plan that included site topography, roadway configuration, access and internal circulation, signage for both vehicles and pedestrians, landscaping and lighting, water, sewer, irrigation, drainage facilities, and an evaluation of the existing structures and facilities.

Several draft plan approaches were presented to the Veterans Affairs Board for discussion. A single plan, including elements from multiple plans, was fully developed into the master plan document for the facility.

The remaining term of the agreement will be used to help the County design and implement additional facilities within the cemetery. Some potential new facilities include a second dedication area, a directory kiosk, and a new columbarium. KC will prepare full design and bid/specification packages for these projects.

By Decire Gonzalez KC'S BLOG • • • • 0 Comments

The Worldwide Race for Supertall Skyscrapers

2020 will be a historic year for the supertall skyscraper trend when, after years of construction, Jeddah Tower opens in Saudi Arabia. At a staggering 3,280 feet tall, Jeddah Tower will dethrone the Burj Khalifa as the tallest skyscraper in the world, a tall order in a desert wasteland.

While Jeddah Tower will stand hundreds, even thousands of feet above other skyscrapers around the world, the competition does not go unappreciated and overlooked, even in an ever-growing world of supertall and megatall skyscrapers.

So what’s got all of these new buildings fumbling for the clouds? Well, skyscrapers are nothing new. The world’s first skyscraper was built in 1885, standing a mere ten stories above ground: a tremendous feat for that time, but measly to people who are used to seeing 1,000+ foot towers in the sky.

Supertall skyscrapers, on the other hand, didn’t come into business until decades later when the Empire State Building (1,250 feet tall) was constructed. From then on, the rise of supertall skyscrapers commenced and couldn’t be stopped even to this day. While supertall constructions nowadays seems like an endless height contest, they are mainly built to preserve ground space.

Places like China, New York City, and the United Arab Emirates are practically covered with skyscrapers, sporting over 150 per location—and those numbers are only projected to grow. New York City alone has proposed over ten new supertall skyscrapers to be built in the upcoming years, proving that the supertall movement will not phase out any time soon.

By Decire Gonzalez KC'S BLOG • • • • • 0 Comments

Designing and Engineering for Climate Change

Green Building

One of the leading industry concerns for engineering and architectural firms is the problem of climate change. As water levels continue to rise, and as the weight of existing infrastructures bears down on already sinking land, engineers are looking for design solutions that can mitigate past inefficiencies and work towards withstanding and reducing climate change in the future. With nearly 40% of the population living in heavily affected coastal areas worldwide, the need for environmentally conscious engineering is imminent.

What Can Be Done?

Raising energy-use concerns early in the process is essential. By using simulation software, considering sustainability, and thinking of the entire building system, engineering and architectural firms can implement design solutions that tackle sustainability from the very beginning of a project. For example, according to the engineering software company Autodesk, “the movement of fluids (examples include air and water) is a very large cause of energy loss in many systems due to drag. Simulation can help reduce these losses.” Reduced losses mean that less energy is required to power the system, resulting in lower emission levels overall.

Architects can also recommend elevating floor levels, adding moisture-resistant drywall, and installing fixed barriers where needed. Once a building is in use, engineering services teams can help tenants get the most out of efficiency and safety features by using building management system (BMS) and building energy management system (BEMS) tools.

The Bottom Line

Green building, or environmentally sensitive architecture, is benefiting from more government incentives, grant programs, success stories, and better marketing strategies. Architectural and engineering services firms that can design products with environmentally sound features are in demand, and those firms may have the best chance of differentiating themselves in the current market.