City of Dreams is an integrated entertainment resort that has established itself as a premier leisure and entertainment destination in Macau. Located in the heart of Cotai in Macau, it combines electrifying entertainment, an amazing array of accommodation, regional and international dining, designer brand shopping, a spacious and contemporary casino, and the spectacular The House of Dancing Water.
Hotel Entrance. Image © Zaha Hadid Architects; 2014 Melco Crown Entertainment Limited
The tower’s exposed exoskeleton reinforces the dynamism of the design. Expressive and powerful, this external structure optimizes the interior layouts and envelops the building, further defining its formal composition and establishing relationships with the new Cotai strip
Morpheus is a new flagship hotel for the City of Dreams complex. The new hotel is an unprecedented combination of structural and formal challenges to resolve a highly complex and articulated variety of uses within one coherent building envelope. Morpheus is designed to satisfy the dreams of tomorrow’s most sophisticated international travelers.
Facade Detail. Image © Zaha Hadid Architects; 2014 Melco Crown Entertainment Limited
The introduction of Morpheus at City of Dreams showcases Melco Crown Entertainment’s determination to create the coolest integrated resorts in the world and to remain as the pioneer of innovation, offering guests the highest international standards and truly unique experiences, while helping to transform Macau into a world center of tourism and leisure.
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Take a digital tour through the building and into the atrium….
FAST FACTS
- Building height: 160m, 39 floors
- Total floor area: 150,000m2
- 28,000 tons of structural steel
- 70,500m3 of reinforced concrete
- 48,000m2 of façade glass
- 50,000m2 of aluminum cladding to the exoskeleton
- 12 panoramic lifts and 8 service lifts
- Approximately 780 guest rooms, suites and sky villas
- 35m high atrium-lobby space
- 2 sky bridges across the atrium
The Rebellious Mega Sculpture
Inspired by jade artifacts, Morpheus is a sculpture, mysterious and intriguing in its unconventional architectural composition. A series of voids gives it complexity and volume, a unique appearance as well as exciting internal spaces. Its two towers are connected at the podium levels and the roof, and there are two additional bridges for guests to experience the external voids within the building.
Lobby Atrium . Image © Zaha Hadid Architects; 2014 Melco Crown Entertainment Limited
World-leading Architecture and Design
Architectural and Technological Breakthrough – The World’s First Free-Form Exoskeleton High Rise
On the rectangular site stands the monolithic block, with the sculpted voids creating a blend of roof walls and ceilings, heretofore unseen in traditional architectural design. An exoskeleton mesh structure embracing its reinforced concrete core emphasizes its volume. Beyond sensuality yet intriguing to the eye, the structure gives the building lateral stability and minimizes internal structural requirements for an optimum interior layout.
Morpheus is the world’s first high-rise building supported by a free-form exoskeleton steel structure to house a mix of different facilities within one cohesive edifice featuring two sky bridges, five different glazing systems and a non-repetitive doubly-curved aluminum cladding.
Lobby Atrium . Image © Zaha Hadid Architects; 2014 Melco Crown Entertainment Limited
The Magnificent Interior
Neatly integrated with the external fabric and without a single element undeserving of the space, the Porte Cochère is in seamless harmony with the monolithic façade of the building.
From the hotel lobby, guests have direct access to the ground-level retail strip and main gaming area. The main reception area is in the atrium with a lobby bar and a flexible installation space. Vertically the atrium is split into two cores and the east and west side connects to the accommodation floors and additional VIP gaming areas. And, riding in the panoramic lifts, one is promised magnificent views of the atrium and the intriguing voids.
Lobby Atrium . Image © Zaha Hadid Architects; 2014 Melco Crown Entertainment Limited
The lower three levels connect with the City of Dreams podium and house public functions and a casino floor. Around 780 hotel rooms on the higher floors are complemented by guest facilities exceeding 5-star hotel standards, including specialty restaurants, an executive lounge, a sky pool and VIP gaming and villas on the top floors.
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Kyotec was chosen to design, manufacture and install the freeform center façades of a sculptural project designed by the architecture office Zaha Hadid Architects in Cotai, Macau, China SAR. The spectacular steel and glass façade features three central voids which will become an artistical landmark in the heart of the city.
Video via Ivan DUPONT
Attractions
- Swimming in Infinity Pool on Level 40, 130m above ground
- Dining experience at sky bridges on Levels 21 and 23 with panoramic view and skylight
- High speed observation lifts through the atrium with spectacular view to the interior architecture
- Premium food and beverage outlets serving international cuisines
- 3 luxurious villas with interior private pool
- 6 duplex villas
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New iconic landmark in Macau — FIFTH HOTEL TOWER CITY OF DREAMS, MACAU
Video via City of Dreams Macau
The Architect
- World-renowned London-based architect, the late Dame Zaha Hadid, DBE
- 1st woman recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, dubbed as the Nobel Prize of architecture, 2004
- Received the Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize in 2010 and 2011 for excellence in architecture
- 1st woman to be awarded the RIBA Gold Medal
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Project leads from Zaha Hadid Architects and Front Inc, façade production consultant, discuss the role of advanced computational technology from the design to the analysis, and fabrication, as well as the construction of this remarkable project, due to open in 2018.
The Morpheus Hotel: From Design to Production: Live Webinar from Rhino Tutorials on Vimeo.
Project Details
Architects: Zaha Hadid Architects
Location: Cotai, Macau
Design: Zaha Hadid & Patrik Schumacher
Project Directors: Viviana Muscettola, Michele Pasca di Magliano
Facade Director: Paolo Matteuzzi
Project Architects: Maria Loreto Flores, Clara Martins, Michele Salvi
Project Team: Pierandrea Angius, Luis Miguel Samanez, Massimo Napoleoni, Bianca Cheung, Miron Mutyaba, Milind Khade, Stefano Lacopini Davide, Del Giudice Luciano, Letteriello Cyril Manyara, Alvin Triestanto, Muhammed Shameel, Goswin Rothenthal, Santiago Fernandez- Achury
Concept Team: Viviana Muscettola, Tiago Correia, Clara Martins, Loreto Flores, Victor Orive, Danilo Arsic, Ines Fontoura, Fabiano Costinanza, Rafael Gonzalez, Muhammed Shameel
Developer: Melco Crown Entertainment Limited
Consultants Executive Architect: L&O, Hong Kong
Local Architect: CAA, Macau
Structural Engineering: / Hong Kong
M&E Engineering: JRP, Hong Kong; Buro Happold, London (Concept)
Facade Engineering: Buro Happold, Hong Kong
Interior Designer: Remedios Studio, Long Beach CA
Gaming Designer: Friedmutter Group, Las Vegas NV
Quantity Surveyor: WTP, Hong Kong
Lighting Design: Isometrix, London/ Hong Kong
Fire Engineering: Ove Arup, Hong Kong
Acoustic Consultant: Shen Milson & Wilke, Hong Kong
Traffic Engineer: MVA, Hong Kong
Building Contractor: Dragages, Hong Kong
Photographs: Zaha Hadid Architects; 2014 Melco Crown Entertainment Limited
Article via City of Dreams Macau and Zaha Hadid Architects
According to the specially commissioned “Count:Down Clock”, the Morpheus Hotel is expected to open on May 10, 2018, but the official opening date is yet to be announced.
Video via Inside Asian Gaming