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Books > Arts & Architecture > Architecture > Interior design
A beautifully illustrated single-project monograph on the
innovative design process and creation of a flagship lakeside
resort in central China, the Hilton Wuhan Optics Valley resort,
this book showcases the chronological project phases, from the
early-stage site preparations, design and engineering parameters,
through to final construction and completion. The resort is a
business and convention center, as well as a prime hub for
political and business activities. There are dedicated spaces for
meetings and receptions, a full suite of leisure facilities, such
as a large spa area, an indoor heated swimming pool, an outdoor
swimming pool, a gym, a cycling route, a lakeside basketball court,
and a tennis court. The hotel component of the resort comprises
luxury guest rooms and suites, all with private balconies
overlooking a beautiful lake, a convention centre with a huge
zero-pillar banquet hall, and an outdoor ceremonial lawn. Hilton
Wuhan Optics Valley is featured by its innovative design. Tightly
knit around the core site, the layout is characterised by a central
symmetry and a clear separation of the external and the internal
areas. The creative use of a cluster of courtyards interlacing each
other characterises the hotel lobby. The functional areas are thus
separated so that the guests can enjoy an experience of unique
spaces typically offered only by small hotels. The design of the
facade drew inspiration from Jing-chu culture clean lines, delicate
details, traditional textures and natural materials and imparts a
sense of understated luxury and otherworldly elegance, allowing the
architecture of the hotel to perfectly blend into the natural
environment around Yanxi Lake. This book is a unique reference and
useful guide for architects, engineers and designers of resorts, or
related typologies.
With rare access, interior designer and artist Ashley Hicks has
photographed the State Rooms of Buckingham Palace, home of
Britain's monarch since 1837. An important representation of
Regency, Victorian, and Edwardian styles, the palace is the work of
such noted architects as John Nash. Hicks's eye brings a vibrant
take on the formal spaces, capturing the magnificent rooms
furnished with treasures from the Royal Collection. Starting at the
Grand Staircase, Hicks leads us through the opulently decorated
State Rooms, which include the White Drawing Room and the Blue
Drawing Room that both overlook the palace gardens; the Ballroom,
which is the setting for twenty investiture ceremonies each year;
and the Throne Room, used by Queen Victoria for spectacular costume
balls in the 1840s. The long, skylit Picture Gallery is hung with
important works of art in the Royal Collection by Rembrandt,
Rubens, Poussin, van Dyck, Vermeer, and Canaletto, among others.
Decorative furnishings from George IV's exotic Brighton Pavilion
lend a fanciful turn to many of the rooms. This intimate tour
through the Buckingham Palace State Rooms is a necessary addition
to the libraries of devotees of the royal family, English
architecture, decoration, and the fine arts in general.
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