ARCHITECTURE
CHENNAI, INDIA: ROYAL MERIDIEN HOTEL
As the architects of this hotel, M&A International, Ltd., developed a spectacular design to maximize coverage of the 15,000-sq.-m. site and provide for an outdoor terraced garden cradled by the hotel wings. Located near Madras' International Airport, the structure had to conform to permissible height requirements.
The main entrance to the hotel leads into a lavishly landscaped, 12-m.-high atrium lobby enclosed by a shell structure. The atrium and adjacent outdoor garden, beyond a 3-story glass curtain wall, create a unique feature and focal point for this hotel, functioning simultaneously to bring the indoors and outdoors together visually while allowing guests to move from one area to the other.
Finishes consist of all indigenous materials. The exterior is clad in granite and stucco, with local craftsmen having worked on wall carvings for the main entrance facade. As such, the indigenous style of this region is "re-interpreted" in a contemporary way. Interior finishes include marble and granite, with all the furniture being fabricated locally. All systems in the hotel are environmentally friendly, making this the first effort at green hotel design in India.
Cost: $35 million
Construction: 1993 – 2000
BACK TO TOP