Luis Banazol submitted this proposal for the International Competition for the design of the Intercontinental, a hotel and business center in Yerevan, Armenia. The concept for the building comes from the perceptions of the connection between art and technology. It is derived from the architect’s own reflection on art that expresses the way people live and think, and technology as that which transports us beyond that expression. The Intercontinental is an architectural proposal in space and light with the users as the net of expressions that gives technology the meaning to exist.
More on this project after the break.
The building is developed vertically and is composed of a square base from which two buildings rise, a hotel center and a housing complex, and create the global structure. Ramps are designed as the main circulation around the court, which is an off-axis void in the center of the square base. The organization of the volumes places an emphasis on movement through the spaces and the network of connections, or misconnections, that are created as users move through the space.
The entrance lobby is an atrium which provides the threshold for public and private programs in the complex. On one side of the atrium is the business center, on the other are programs associated with the hotel, including reception, spas, and fitness centers.
The upper level is accessed through a ramp around the courtyard which houses a lounge area, bar, restaurant, and their respective services. Above are hotel suits and other services associated with the complex. This hotel tower is oriented to the main street of Yerevan, Teryan Street facing southeast, while the apartment tower faces east.
The Intercontinental Center is design by Luis Banazol to be an architectural mark for Yerevan. Therefore, the formal expression of the architecture is a manifestation of the concepts that drive the project: art and technology. The facade becomes a fundamental, iconic element in the expression of the synthesis between art and technology. A metallic mesh combined with bamboo develops a net that wraps the building in a translucent, and natural skin (developed by Nativemesh). The combination of the natural material and the minimal elegance of the stainless steel create a gentle, textural mesh that is strong and flexible in its applications.
