Xinhee Design Center, Xiamen, China

Hotels in Dubai experienced a 5.5% increase in occupancy to 72.2% from January to July 2010, according to a report by STR Global. The analysis said that continued marketing and promotion efforts undertaken by the hotels contributed to the occupancy growth. However, revenue per

Hotel prices worldwide increased by 2% in the second quarter of 2010 compared with the same period last year, according to an industry report. The hotel price index recorded it as the first rise since 2007, with figures attributed to the improved economic situation. The

Strategic Hotels & Resorts has signed a share purchase agreement for the sale of the InterContinental Prague in the Czech Republic for €110.6 ($148m). The hotel will be sold to an investment group led by an affiliate of Westmont Hospitality. Laurence Geller, CEO

JAL Hotels has opened the five-star Hotel Nikko Wuxi in China. The 499-room hotel features a cafe, a restaurant, a 640m² ballroom, seven additional meeting spaces, an indoor swimming pool, fitness centre, massage room and beauty salon. Nikko Hotels International is an i

Renovation work at the Radisson Blu Martinez Hotel in Beirut, Lebanon, will begin in January 2011. The five-star hotel will remain open during the renovation period and be completed by June 2011. The upgrades will be implemented throughout the hotel's public areas, including

Union Investment has acquired the Holiday Inn Express hotel in Saxony, Germany, for Foremost Real Estate Dresden (FRED). FRED is developing the three-star hotel for operator Foremost Hospitality HIEX. The 218-room hotel is the first Holiday Inn Express to be built in the city

Xinhee Design Center is a new office building being built for the Chinese fashion group, Xin Hee. Designed by MAD Architects, the new office is located in Xiamen, Fujian, China.

The building will serve as the headquarters for Xin Hee and house its six subsidiaries. It will feature a combination of office and green garden spaces.

Construction of the new complex commenced in August 2016 and is expected to be completed in 2017.

Xinhee Design Center inspiration

MAD architects wanted Xinhee Design Center’s design to be linked with clothing and architecture, as the building will house an international fashion group. The architects drew inspiration for the design from the human anatomy, specifically skin and bones.

The building takes the form of a six-armed star extending out of a central atrium. The entire building will be covered by a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) envelope representing delicate and soft skin covering a bone-like structure.

Design layout and facilities of the new office building

The new building is being constructed with a built-up area of 61,000m² on a 15,000m² site. It will be 45.5m high and include eight storeys, with a lifted first floor to reduce its footprint by two-thirds. The first floor will comprise public gardens and water features.

The six arms of the design centre will house each of Xin Hee’s brands and include both office and research space. The spatial organisation resembles a series of petals growing out of a central point, creating a radial layout that provides ample opportunity for the different departments to interact with each other. It also increases the building’s efficiency and flexibility, while providing natural light and ventilation.

The building’s central atrium, which is open to the public, serves as a communal space and doubles up as a footbridge. The atrium further functions as a runway for fashion events, and includes two glass elevators that visually connect the office spaces with various levels of the building.

Sustainable features of the Xinhee Design Center

The Xinhee Design Center incorporates a number of environment-friendly features adapted to the local climate. The first floor of the building contains a public garden and water features, which circulate cool air during the summer. It also serves as a solar greenhouse and keeps the building warm during winter.

Meanwhile, the atrium serves as a circulation space for cold and hot air, thereby adjusting the temperature. It also provides plenty of natural ventilation for the interiors.

The building’s exterior PTFE coating is 47% translucent, allowing natural light inside, while decreasing solar radiation. Solar panels on the rooftop of the building will supply electricity for the building.

The facility will also include gardens across its six arms and its rooftop, which will capture precipitation from rainfall to improve air circulation and reduce indoor temperatures.

Some of the rainwater will be cleaned and filtered for use in the building.

Contractors involved

The associate engineer for the project is CCDI Group, while the façade consultant is RFR Asia. The front interior design for the building is being provided by Gold Mantis and Kangyang Architecture Consultancy.

Cicada Landscape Architecture and Hordor Design Group will serve as landscape architects for the project. The lighting designer is United Artists Lighting Design, while building information modelling is being provided by Gehry Technologies.

Guangdong Provincial Academy of Building Research Group served as the wind tunnel consultant, Shen Milsom Wilke is the acoustics consultant, and Shanghai PM First Track is the cost consultant for the project.