JW Marriott Shenzhen Bao'an | Portman Architects

The project, designed by architects John Portman & Associates, is composed of a 356-key hotel, a residential tower and support amenities on a 21,174-square-meter site in the Bao’an Central Area business district in the booming Qianhai development zone of Shenzhen, China. The hotel tower is 26 stories tall, yet, at 99-meters tall, rises higher than the 29-story residential tower. There is a total built area of 84,600 square meters above grade.

The hotel entry fronts the museum park to the east. The shaping of the tower and podium inflect inward here, creating a grand canopied arrivals court. A separate VIP entry is accessed from the north into a garden auto court. The fully glazed exterior lobby wall visually links the hotel lobby to the museum park.

The hotel tower is linked to the complex’s podium via a two-story, 10-meter-high lobby space. Hotel functions, including the lobby bar, the three-meal restaurant and the reception area, activate the lobby. The typical guestroom floor consists of 22 hotel room modules, most often divided into 20 rooms and two suites per floor. Vertical circulation for the guestroom tower and the podium anchor each end of the lobby space. A ceremonial stair connects the lobby to the ballroom pre-function area. 

The design for the hotel tower is centered on the concept of fluidity. The hotel, together with other project elements, wraps around an inner water-garden court, creating a total composition inspired by the undulation of water as a nod to the site’s location on Qianhai Bay.

Distinguished by its soft, sinuous, curvilinear forms and geometry, the character of the design evolves directly from its unique program, location and climate to encapsulate the spirit of this special place. The hotel tower, drop-shaped in plan, humanizes the built environment and creates an abundance of interplay with nature to deliver a sensory experience. A pleasant mix of open space and tree plantings offer visitors the choice of sun or shade. A sparkling water feature provides whispering white noise throughout the project.

Inside the hotel, elegant, contemporary interiors designed by HBA are complemented by premium services and amenities targeted to business and leisure guests. The interiors combine contemporary design with elegant cultural references and local artwork. Guests are greeted in the lobby by “Paradise of Materials” by Chinese artist Zhan Wang, an eye-catching piece depicting the energy of the Shenzhen landscape.

Each guestroom is designed in a chic, modern style featuring abundant natural light and a pale blue palette, echoing the shimmering water in the views. The Bayview Restaurant, located on the top floor of the hotel tower serves diners a fine selection of Chinese and Western cuisines enhanced by superb panoramas of Qianhai Bay and the Pearl River Delta. A glass ceiling creates an exclusive, romantic private dining experience illuminated by the moon and stars.

The fluidity of the tower form extends and is complemented by the equally fluid four-story podium containing additional hotel amenities, food and beverage outlets, and support functions. Level four is set back with a pool and garden terrace overlooking the infinity-edge pool, mirroring the water beyond. A projecting sunshade from the roof above partially shades the pool deck. The uppermost roof of the podium is a lawn connected to the wedding center that is intended to serve as a place for special outdoor events. The horizontal surfaces of the podium, the ballroom terrace, the health club terrace and the projecting sunshade at the roof level give the project a strong horizontal reading that is both contrasted and complemented by diagonal sunshades that extend up the tower.

The basis of the sustainability concept for the project is in the development of an active exterior facade optimizing daylight, reducing the need for artificial lighting, and incorporating fixed sun shading to reduce cooling loads. Diagonal sunscreens reinforce the form, while reducing energy needs through shading, and maximizing magnificent views of Qianhai Bay and the Pearl River Delta by allowing for a more transparent façade. These sunshades serve the critically important function of shading the façade, allowing for the use of a more transparent, high-performance glazing system, thus optimizing the views and strengthening the link between the patron and the sea.

The project site is located in the business district of Bao’an Central Area. It is bound on the east by the central greenbelt of Bao’an Central Area and on the south by the sea. There are also greenbelts on both the west and south sides of the site. The lush foliage of the surrounding greenbelts is carried up and through the project, as the landscaping doesn’t stop at the tower’s edge; it continues on throughout.

The design of all systems are framed to create energy efficiency and sustainable infrastructure demands and comply with relevant state laws as required in the Design Standard for Energy Efficiency of Public Buildings GB 50189-2005. The building’s HVAC, Fire Protection, Plumbing and Electrical and Telecom provisions are designed to comply with state-of-the-art engineering practice guides and current local building regulations with the intention to exceed existing benchmarks for energy-efficient buildings. An intelligent building automation system provides monitoring and controls for energy and water usage management.