DESA1002 'Continuous City' Hoang Duy Thinh Pham

Abstract

Standing tall and vigilant against the Tunis skyline, the Lighthouse Hotel on the waterfront is open to tourists who find the hotel’s iconic cantilever ‘springboard’ one of the more beautiful vantage points for viewing Tunis in it’s whole or the magnificent view of of the water. Adorned on the top of the Lighthouse is the hotel’s unique solidified flame that houses the bulb of the “lighthouse”. At night, the Lighthouse Hotel really shines (and not just by the bulb); the Lighthouse Hotel Cafe is a popular stop for locals and tourists alike to enjoy a coffee by the water, and parties never seem to stop, the nights in the hotel penthouse are always celebrating something; the party-goers enjoying the beautiful nightview of the water. The design vision for the Lighthouse Hotel was to create an interesting and striking icon for the city of Tunis. Designed to serve the purposes of being a hotel and a public space and a tourist trap. Inspired by the Guggenheim Bilbao and the Empire State Building, the Lighthoust Hotel is an iconic building that can become a mascot for the city and perhaps boost tourism. While it’s true purpose is to serve the city as an icon, the intermediate levels of this otherwise public building as private and consist of overly luxurious ‘rooms’ that consist of an entire floor each. The top floor and bottom floor and designated public spaces with a lift that will take public visitors right to the top floor to visit the viewing platform without disturbing the patrons of the hotel. The crowning ‘architectonic flame’ is a exciting and dynamic element of the building that houses the ‘light’ of the Lighthouse Hotel. The structure of the Lighthouse Hotel is dependent on the lift core which acts as a stable column on which all other structures rest, and also as the main circulation core. The building is a concrete and steel construction with an open glazed facade facing the water for a panoramic view within each room. The viewing platform is of a lightweight steel construction. The crowning ‘flame’ is a clear polycarbonate that glows when the light of the ‘lighthouse’ is switched on.