leeser architecture: wins first prize for 'helix hotel' in abu dhabi

‘helix hotel’ by leeser architecture image courtesy leeser architecture

american firm leeser architecture has won first prize in a competition for a five-star luxury hotel in the zayed bay in abu dhabi, UAE. called the helix hotel for its staggered floor plates, it rests in the bay, partially floating in the water and adjacent to the serpentine sheik zayed bridge currently under construction by zaha hadid.

with 208 guest rooms and suites arranged around a helical floor, the hotel immediately dispenses with the idea that visitors must engage in the stale paradigms of rigid hallways and atria that characterize a typical hotel stay. the floor constantly shifts in width and pitch as it rises to the top floor, keeping public spaces always in flux. no two rooms positioned across from each other have exact views to the other side. as the helix winds upward, programmatic elements change from lounges and restaurants on the bay, to meeting rooms and conference facilities, to lounges and cafes, to the luxury indoor-outdoor health spa on the fifth floor, to, finally, the upper pool deck on the roof. the running track on the fifth floor represents the only moment when the ramping ceases and a flat surface prevails.

the indoor waterfall allows for the accumulation of heat inside the hotel to be minimal by filtering cool water back up into the system as it falls through the void. in the sub-lobby, a dynamic glass wall is built from the base of the second floor down into the water. the wall acts as a curtain, opening when the weather is cool enough and closing when it is too hot for exposure to the desert air. Portions of the outside surface are clad in panels made of a new material called grow, which has both photovoltaic and wind harnessing capabilities.

‘helix hotel’ image courtesy leeser architecture