Location Zhangjiakou, China
Site Area 11680m2
Floor Area 32800m2
Status Under Construction
Design Architect O Studio Architects
Local Design Institute Beijing Institute of Architectural Design (Group) Co. Ltd
Stephen Hotel is located at the end point of the 800m level-drop professional ski track in a resort at Chicheng. The building will be one of the primary supporting facilities for the 2022 Winter Olympics, providing training venue, accommodation, food and beverage, recreation and sight-seeing facilities for athletics, audiences and tourists around the world. The main design challenge is to connect the hotel building with the two ski fields located on the south and north side of the sitte, not only to ensure the smooth “Ski In, Ski Out” experience among the hotel and the ski paths in various levels, but also to minimize conflicts among the pedestrian flows of the skiers, tourists and hotel guests.
The site is located at a Y-shape valley, which is the ending point of the 800m level-drop ski track. The overall architectural mass is broken into three leaf-like towers rotating in different angles on plan. This not only optimizes the viewing capacity towards the mountainscape at various directions, but also minimizes the visual disturbance among the towers.
Beneath the three towers there are various supporting facilities including not only F&B, banquet, recreational and parent-child functions, but also ski departure hall and car parking. They are half buried in the mountain slopes in order to minimize the negative impact on natural environment caused by the massive building mass.
Operating beyond the function of a hotel, this project is an infrastructural hub to connect ski fields, pedestrian and vehicular flows at various levels. With the sufficient provision and clear organization of elevators, travelators, ramps and stairs, the “Ski In, Ski out” experience among different ski fields, ski tracks and departure halls are ensured while maintaining the independence and privacy of the hotel use.