Hyderabad will soon have to its credit a contemporary boutique hotel. The Park Hotel Group’s 280-room flagship hotel to be unveiled in March 2010 in Hyderabad is not just a blend of contemporary and vernacular architectural traditions but also aims to be the first LEED-Gold certified hotel in India. This hotel designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and developed by the Apeejay Surrendra Group, received the best developer award for the project. Structural concept Part of the Park Hotel’s collection, this five-star luxury boutique hotel features nine floors of guestrooms and suites and luxury amenities including restaurants, lounges, banquet facilities, retail shopping and a glass-bottomed horizon pool. The Park Hotel is influenced by Hyderabad’s proud tradition as a centre of design and the production of precious stones and distinctive textiles. The building incorporates a range of high-quality spaces, from guestrooms, executive and presidential suites to restaurants, lounges and entertainment venues. The hotel’s unique exterior cladding and interior surface finish reflect local traditions of craftsmanship, patterning and style. On the ground floor, retail, banquet halls and art galleries are accessible to guests and visitors alike. Entertainment spaces are sub-divisible, accommodating parties of any size. The hotel is organised on three sides around The Veranda, which forms the heart of the building. This is a flexible, sub-divisible outdoor space that serves as an extension of restaurant and lobby spaces. It offers a variety of experiences, including access to the public pool and a private dining court. A major feature of the hotel is a three-dimensional horizon pool, which offers swimming and relaxation in elegant surroundings, and creates unique visual environments for diners and club goers in adjacent and below-grade spaces. Light and water are combined to suffuse the Night Club with serene patterns of water in motion. A stair tube connects the Night Club to The Veranda through the volume of the pool. Design element The hotel’s signature design element is a perforated metal screen based on the Indian jaali, which wraps the entire building perimeter. The screen’s leaf-shaped pattern, which is inspired by local jewellery-making traditions including Hyderabad’s Crown Jewels of the Nizam, acts as both, an ornamental façade and a shading device minimising the impact of the region’s tropical temperatures on the building envelope. Computer modelling was used to calculate the optimal balance between opaque and transparent coverage. Apertures were adjusted to maximise natural day-lighting. The aluminium composite façade produces a dappled shading effect. Environmental benchmark The Park Hotel has achieved LEED certification and will become the first hotel in India to introduce non-smoking across all guestrooms. Specifically, consultants are advising The Park on how to maintain low outdoor heat absorption, high acoustic levels, minimal emission levels, energy-efficient lighting, and how to utilise natural lighting to maximum potential. The hotel is also installing STP for water efficiency and providing rainwater harvesting. The materials used in construction and the interiors are low-emitting and constitute a large amount of recycled matter. There will be designated smoking areas and lounges in the property and more than 90 per cent of property space will be non-smoking. There will also be separate air handling systems for the smoking and non-smoking areas. Cityscape India has named the Park Hotels, Hyderabad, the best future hospitality project in India. “This is a tremendous honour,” says Mark Igou, Director, SOM Operations in India. “The award represents a significant milestone in a longer mission to realise the highest level of design innovation and sustainable construction in India.” Eco Benefits:• 30 per cent reduction in power consumption. • 40 per cent reduction in potable water consumption. Project Details:Developer: Apeejay Surrendra Group. Tel: +91 80 2559 4666 Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, Tel: +1 212 298 9300. Green Features to Meet the LEED Criteria: • Erosion and sedimentation control measures to reduce negative impact on water and air quantity.• The measures adopted will be in accordance with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, USA) standards.• Charging points for electrically charged vehicles and a designated car park. • Dedicated parking for bicycles.• Roofing with high solar reflectance index (SRI)(>78) or green roof. • Water fixtures with low flow.• 100 per cent recycling of treated wastewater.• Onsite composting. • The Park Hotel building design will be simulated using standard simulation packages, like Visual DOE.• Additional energy and water flow meters for measurement and verification.• Storage and collection programme for waste generated in the building.• Indoor air quality (IAQ) will meet ASHRAE 62-1999 standards to avoid IAQ problems in the building.• Building will have dedicated smoking rooms. Restaurants will all be ‘non smoking’.