Client: Gayatri Hi-Tech Hotels

Overview

This 5-star Park Hyatt hotel features 185 guestrooms and 24 suites, in addition to 42 fully-serviced apartments in Hyderabad, India. The 599,550 sf, eight-story building has a lobby and mezzanine, plus four floors of guest rooms topped by two floors of high-end serviced apartments. A atrium rises through all eight floors. In addition, the hotel includes a business center, health club/spa, swimming pool, dining and other amenities. A ballroom, meeting rooms and pre-function areas are located off of the lobby. The conference center is located one level below the ballroom.

Goals

Drawing inspiration from traditional Indian architecture, the design was originally conceived as a microcosm focused around an interior garden that was open to the sky, and shaded by a trellis. With a pool in the center, the concept was to have capitalized on the natural cooling effect provided by air drawn in through the lower portion of the internal courtyard, passing over the water, then circulating up and out through the open trellis. During the design process, the owner decided to enclose the internal courtyard, preserving the garden concept as an atrium. The idea of the microcosm was kept and further enhanced by introducing terraced gardens, descending into a reflecting pool highlighted by a monumental sculpture that soars two stories high.

Process

The lobby features an original John Portman sculpture that was commissioned by the owners and incorporated by HBA into the interior design. The sculpture “Becoming” is a 27-foot high undulating form in a matte white finish prominently positioned at the end of a 131-foot long linear reflecting pool that runs the length of the lobby. Serving as a contemplative counterpoint to the dramatic atrium space, it is mounted on a thin reflective stainless steel platform that creates the impression that the sculpture floats just above the surface of the water.

Additional Information

The work articulates the dynamic nature of shadow and light playing across a surface that resists resolution. The result is a balance between the static architectural space and a dynamic sculpture. It is sited purposely adjacent to a spiraling staircase in order to provide the individual with the opportunity to engage the piece from multiple viewpoints.