W Hotels is a name that commands respect in the hotel industry. W Hotels are located in many major cities all over the world. The hotel group recently announced the proposal for the construction for Namaste Tower, which will be the tallest building in India. The new W hotel will be housed in the tower. The hotel is expected to open by July 2015. Namaste Tower will stand at 984 ft with seventy floors. The building will house the W hotel, as well as retail and office space. Atkins from Dubai is the architect for the building. There will be 120,000 m2 of gross construction area.
The name Namaste means “I salute you” in Sanskrit, a form of greeting which is accompanied by a gesture of joining both hands. It has a spiritual significance of negating one’s ego in the presence of another. In this way the architectural design of the hotel provides the ultimate symbol of hospitality and welcome, as seen in the as seen in the cultural context of India.
The design of the building is also inspired from this, the two wings of the hotel are shaped like two hands clasped together in greeting to the city of Mumbai. The developers are aiming for the building to be an icon for Mumbai city.
Namaste Tower will be built in Lower Parel, a prime area in Mumbai, on the Ambika Mill land. The top of the building will come with an atrium four times the height and will house the Sky restaurant and Bar, with a stunning view of the city. With a proposed height of 300 m the tower will be seen from a distance of more than 40 km. Therefore the visual appearance of the project as a major landmark is of great importance to the city of Mumbai. Views from the tower will extend to the South over the Mahalkshi Race course towards the Mumbai Peninsula and to the South West over the Indian Ocean. The views to the north East are towards a number of adjacent towers that are currently being constructed. The orientation and massing of the tower have been designed in order to make the very best of these visual relationships.
Following the long tradition of great Indian Architecture it was our aim that the Namaste Tower will stand as a landmark structure, representative of the burgeoning economic and cultural significance of India. We aimed to design a building that would become representative of the city: the picture postcard of Mumbai.
Key Statistics: • 120,000 m2 of Gross Construction Area, • 380 key luxury hotel • Exclusive restaurants, bars, banqueting and spa facilities • 9,000 m2 of A grade office space • 6,000 m2 of world class retail space • 300 m overall building height
The tower has been designed to cater for large scale Indian weddings. The occasion of a Mehndi ceremony (where the hands and feet of the bride and groom are decorated with henna) is often one of the most important pre-wedding rituals in India. The design seeks to build on the theme of the clasped hands by referencing the intricate Mehndi patterns through the treatment of the building skin. The tower is will be clad in fritted glazing that combines to form an architectural scale graphic on the exterior of the building. This will create a sense of transparency and depth to the building while at the same time helping to maintain the thermal qualities required to meet the building’s envelope design criteria. It is proposed that the large scale canopies over the drop-off points area support an array of solar thermal collectors. Given the available surface area and annual sunlight conditions these have the potential to provide 12% of the energy required to heat the hot water for the hotel.
Internal Atrium Gardens - These atria also serve to bring natural light deep into the plan. At the plant floor levels these atria are broken with internal gardens that serve to bring greenery into the corridor and atrium spaces. It was a central design aim to ensure that the circulation areas of the hotel, (including corridors) are just as impressive as the rooms themselves.
The name Namaste means “I salute you” in Sanskrit, a form of greeting which is accompanied by a gesture of joining both hands. It has a spiritual significance of negating one’s ego in the presence of another. In this way the architectural design of the hotel provides the ultimate symbol of hospitality and welcome, as seen in the as seen in the cultural context of India.
The design of the building is also inspired from this, the two wings of the hotel are shaped like two hands clasped together in greeting to the city of Mumbai. The developers are aiming for the building to be an icon for Mumbai city.
Namaste Tower will be built in Lower Parel, a prime area in Mumbai, on the Ambika Mill land. The top of the building will come with an atrium four times the height and will house the Sky restaurant and Bar, with a stunning view of the city. With a proposed height of 300 m the tower will be seen from a distance of more than 40 km. Therefore the visual appearance of the project as a major landmark is of great importance to the city of Mumbai. Views from the tower will extend to the South over the Mahalkshi Race course towards the Mumbai Peninsula and to the South West over the Indian Ocean. The views to the north East are towards a number of adjacent towers that are currently being constructed. The orientation and massing of the tower have been designed in order to make the very best of these visual relationships.
Following the long tradition of great Indian Architecture it was our aim that the Namaste Tower will stand as a landmark structure, representative of the burgeoning economic and cultural significance of India. We aimed to design a building that would become representative of the city: the picture postcard of Mumbai.
Key Statistics: • 120,000 m2 of Gross Construction Area, • 380 key luxury hotel • Exclusive restaurants, bars, banqueting and spa facilities • 9,000 m2 of A grade office space • 6,000 m2 of world class retail space • 300 m overall building height
The tower has been designed to cater for large scale Indian weddings. The occasion of a Mehndi ceremony (where the hands and feet of the bride and groom are decorated with henna) is often one of the most important pre-wedding rituals in India. The design seeks to build on the theme of the clasped hands by referencing the intricate Mehndi patterns through the treatment of the building skin. The tower is will be clad in fritted glazing that combines to form an architectural scale graphic on the exterior of the building. This will create a sense of transparency and depth to the building while at the same time helping to maintain the thermal qualities required to meet the building’s envelope design criteria. It is proposed that the large scale canopies over the drop-off points area support an array of solar thermal collectors. Given the available surface area and annual sunlight conditions these have the potential to provide 12% of the energy required to heat the hot water for the hotel.
Internal Atrium Gardens - These atria also serve to bring natural light deep into the plan. At the plant floor levels these atria are broken with internal gardens that serve to bring greenery into the corridor and atrium spaces. It was a central design aim to ensure that the circulation areas of the hotel, (including corridors) are just as impressive as the rooms themselves.