莲花酒店位于香沙湾沙漠，距北京800公里，鄂尔多斯中部和包头。该遗址面向黄河支流汉台河，东至宽200多公里的库布奇沙漠。

Lotus Hotel is located in Xiangshawan Desert, 800 kilometers west to Beijing and middle of Ordos and Baotou. The site is facing Hantai River, a branch of Yellow River, and east to Kubuqi Desert that more than 200 kilometers wide.

 Courtesy of PLaT Architects

平台建筑师提供的服务

由于其特殊的地理条件的限制，平台建筑师发明了一种新的结构体系，它只使用钢板而不需要混凝土或水来固定流体砂。面板和支撑骨架结构是预制的，使建筑的基础成为一个大型的沙粒容器。因此，钢板结构可以充当漂浮在沙漠上的船只，承载着建筑物。结构内外的砂土相互作用，从而实现了结构的柔性稳定。此外，墙是承重结构，以减少基础上的压力.

Due to the restriction by its special geographic condition, PLaT Architects invented a new structural system that fix in fluid sands using only steel panels without the help of concrete or water. The panels and the supporting skeleton structures are pre-fabricated, and make the base of the building a large container for sands. Thus, the steel panel structure can function as a boat floating on desert that carries the building. The sands in and out of the structure exert same forces to each other, and thus it is flexibly stabilized. Also, walls are load-bearing structures in order to reduce the pressure on base.

 Courtesy of PLaT Architects

平台建筑师提供的服务

此外，建筑师在室内设计中使用当地的材料，让人们在莲花酒店中充分体验沙漠。例如，通过一系列的实验，他们成功地发明了一种由当地沙漠中的沙子制成的墙面材料。

Moreover, architects use local materials in interior design so that people get full experience of desert in Lotus Hotel. For instance, through a series of experiments, they managed to invent a wall-covering material that is made of sands from local desert.

 Courtesy of PLaT Architects

平台建筑师提供的服务

莲花酒店的形式不仅融合在沙漠中，而且还表现出环境和自身的力量。建筑师采用了中国传统的“真”思想，简单地说，就是重复相同元素的艺术。旋转的方格在一个相同的角度创建三角形的过程中，并使形式更强。在考虑结构、遮阳和风的作用下，建筑师将功能、形式和景观融为一体，形成了莲花的形态。

The form of Lotus Hotel not only blends in the desert, but also exhibits a power of the environment and itself. Architects used the traditional Chinese idea of “Zhen”, which is, in simple words, the art of repeating same elements. Rotation of squares in a same angle creates triangles in the process, and made the form stronger. In consideration of structure, shading and wind, architects integrated function, form and landscape, resulting in a form of lotus.

 Courtesy of PLaT Architects

平台建筑师提供的服务

莲花酒店只是香沙湾沙漠规划的一部分。在沙漠地区将有更多的可持续发展的旅游业，以及更多的沙漠建筑。PLAT建筑公司的目标是实现零网络可持续建筑，在自己的系统中产生足够的电力和水供应。

Lotus Hotel is only a part of Xiangshawan Desert planning. There will be more such as sustainable tourism in desert, and developing more desert architecture. PLaT Architects is targeting for net-zero sustainable architecture that generates electricity and water in its own system enough for supply.