Where Architect, Michael Earle, Blogs about Modern Zen Architecture and Design…

Futuristic Mythical Fortress

International Architects, Diseño Earle (now known as Modern-Zen Architecture), have produced a stunningly unique hotel design which incorporates a Ukrainian 18th century palace with contemporary additions.

The hotel will be the centrepiece of a 5* Country Club to be built in a ‘village’ style setting in West Ukraine which will include retail and office space plus apartments and individual villas. The country club will also offer spa and other leisure facilities including golf and tennis.

The listed palace is set in 12 hectares, surrounded by various protected buildings, including stables which belonged to the wooden palace that originally stood on the site. At little more than 2500 square meters, the existing structure simply wasn’t capable of providing the amenities required for a viable development.

Inspiration for the new addition came from the Star Fort design, with it’s formative influences on Renaissance cities, the rebirth of a once derelict building on the site of an old fortress seemed a wholly appropriate association.

Located on a prolonged hill the palace sits on an elevated position. The principal front is symmetrical, flanked with angular projections, finished with pyramid-like roofs and crowned spires.
The contemporary addition to the hotel is in stark contrast to the neo-baroque architecture of the palace. Clad in frosted green glass, the diamond-shaped building appears as an angular shard of crystal ‘powering’ the old palace. The whole is surrounded by an oval ‘moat’.

At the front of the pool, the architects developed a new entry pavilion with generous lobby facilities all part of the continuing dramatic entry experience. From this lobby, visitors descend a glass-covered ramp to slip beneath the waters of the moat into the palace itself.

The moat is pierced with feature glass structures, bringing light to the spa and other facilities situated at basement level.

The juxtaposing of the ‘ancient mythical’ palace and the ‘futuristic mythical’ fortress create a remarkable marketing opportunity for the hotel operators and a unique pull for the project as a whole.

Suggested to you by Modern Zen Architects, Phuket & Samui Thailand
and guest blogger, Architect Michael Earle