Svart – World’s First Powerhouse Hotel in Norway

Laurence Grigorov, as director of a residential property development company, finds ideas and inspiration from international architectural designs for projects that the company is involved in. Laurence Grigorov has been developing luxury residential projects in Johannesburg, South Africa for nearly 15 years. He is highly influenced by modern design trends and attempts to instil these inspirations in the upcoming projects.

In collaboration with Arctic Adventure of Norway, Asplan Viak and Skanska, Snøhetta has designed “Svart” the world’s first Powerhouse* hotel, at the foot of the Svartisen glacier that runs through Meløy municipality in northern Norway. The name “Svart”, meaning "black" in Norwegian, is a direct tribute to the deep blue ice of Svartisen and the Svartisen name. As the word for "black" and "blue" are the same in old Norse, the name is a reference to the natural heritage of Svartisen, its precious glacier and its natural surroundings.

Compared to an equivalent hotel built in accordance with modern building standards in Norway, the new hotel reduces yearly energy consumption by approximately 85%. The hotel is thus the first of its kind to be built in compliance with the Powerhouse standard and will also become the world’s northernmost Powerhouse building.

Building in such a precious environment comes with some clear obligations in terms of preserving the natural beauty and the fauna and flora of the site. It was important for us to design a sustainable building that will leave a minimal environmental footprint on this beautiful Northern nature. Building an energy positive and low-impact hotel is an essential factor to create a sustainable tourist destination respecting the unique features of the plot; the rare plant species, the clean waters and the blue ice of the Svartisen glacier, says Founding Partner at Snøhetta, Kjetil Trædal Thorsen.

The circular body of “Svart” extends from the shoreline by the foot of the Almlifjellet mountain and into the clear waters of the Holandsfjorden fjord. The circular shape provides a panoramic view of the fjord and an experience of living in proximity with nature.

The construction is inspired local vernacular architecture in the form of the “fiskehjell” (A-shaped wooden structure for drying fish) and the “rorbue” (a traditional type of seasonal house used by fishermen). The rorbue reference translates into the hotel’s supporting structure which is built from weather resistant wooden poles stretching several meters below the surface of the fjord. The poles ensure that the building physically places a minimal footprint in the pristine nature and gives the building an almost transparent appearance.

To reach the Powerhouse standard, several cutting-edge design choices have been made. For example, the architects have conducted an extensive mapping of how solar radiation behaves in relation to mountainous context throughout the year to optimize the harvest of energy. The result of the study has been an importance premise for the circular design of the hotel, and both hotel rooms, restaurants and terraces are strategically placed to exploit the Sun’s energy throughout the day and seasons. The hotel’s roof is clad with Norwegian solar panels produced with clean hydro energy reducing the carbon footprint even further. Due to the long summer nights of this area, the annual production of solar energy will be significant.

Materials with low embodied energy have been used to reach the Powerhouse standard. Embodied energy is the amount of energy that is required to produce, transport, build and replace materials and products that go into a building. Embodied energy is highest in materials produced with energy derived from fossil fuels. The use of wood in construction and cladding minimizes the environmental impact of the building, and typically energy-intensive materials such as structural steel and concrete have been avoided as much as possible.

The hotel also uses geothermal wells that are connected to heat pumps. These are used to heat the building, thus reducing the building’s total energy consumption.

Words & image courtesy of www.architectmagazine.com

Ellipse in Waterfall City

As director of a residential property development company based in Johannesburg, South Africa, Laurence Grigorov subscribes to Architect & Builder magazine which always features upcoming and current developments and projects in South Africa. Keeping track of these projects gives Laurence Grigorov an insight in potential residential and commercial market trends and changes.

DHK recently unveiled its design for a new residential development comprising four elliptical towers of differing heights. Ellipse Waterfall is the first high-rise luxury apartment development in the heart of Waterfall City. Covering 45,000m2, the precinct features 590 brand-new apartments and other amenities including ‘The Luna Club’, an exclusive multi-concept lifestyle destination for Ellipse Waterfall’s residents.

The brief from the clients was to create a unique residential complex, including executive 1-bedroom, 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom units as well as multiple penthouse suites.

In response to the brief, dhk moved away from the traditional rectangular apartment block design and decided to take on a more unconventional form. To make best use of the property’s unobstructed views, dhk proposed four separate elliptical towers. The buildings’ shape takes inspiration from an ellipse (a mathematical term for a curved plane surrounding two focal points) which is highly efficient in terms of ratio of surface area to internal volume. The lack of corners reduces the visual profile of the buildings and was identified as the most suitable form when considering multiple towers in proximity to one another. Inspired by their mathematical origins, each tower is named after some of the world’s most celebrated scientists, namely, ‘Newton’, ‘Kepler’, ‘Da Vinci’ and ‘Galileo’. Each tower has an identical footprint; however, the height of each differs. ‘Newton’ has 10 storeys, ‘Kepler’ has 11 storeys, ‘Da Vinci’ has 13 storeys and ‘Galileo’ has 15 storeys. The curvilinear façade of the towers is complemented by a mix of moveable and fixed screens which serve to animate the elevations. This produces an ever-changing collage resulting from the movement of the sun and the moods of its occupants.

The towers sit on a raised podium, creating an elevated ground floor with a parking garage and services infrastructure underneath. Extensively landscaped, the podium level includes a central piazza, running track, active and passive parks, lap and leisure pools, verdant gardens and ’The Luna Club’ to engage residents and encourage community activity. At street level, an elevated forecourt addresses the most prominent corner where retail spaces spill out onto the activated street edges to embrace other users from the broader Waterfall City community.

The project consists of two phases. During the first phase, ‘Newton’ and ‘Kepler’ will be built with ‘Da Vinci’ and ‘Galileo’ being built in the second phase.

New and exciting projects such as these offer insight to Laurence Grigorov and his team for future projects and developments that the company may benefit from.

Photo and words courtesy of Architect and Builder magazine.

Welcome to Thailand

Laurence Grigorov is director of a leading residential property development company that specialises in modern, luxury apartments, cluster units and bespoke homes based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Travelling abroad to enjoy different cultures and places is a hobby and favourite pastime for Laurence Grigorov. This allows him to both relax and unwind, as well as exposing hi to various architectural and design ideas and styles.

Laurence Grigorov is looking forward to visiting Thailand someday soon. Friendly and fun-loving, cultured and historic, Thailand radiates a golden hue, from its glittering temples and tropical beaches through to the ever-comforting Thai smile.

Adored around the world, Thai cuisine expresses fundamental aspects of Thai culture: it is generous, warm, refreshing and relaxed. Thai dishes rely on fresh, local ingredients – pungent lemongrass, searing chillies and plump seafood. A varied national menu is built around the four fundamental flavours: spicy, sweet, salty and sour. Roving appetites go on eating tours of Bangkok noodle shacks, seafood pavilions in Phuket, and Burmese market stalls in Mae Sot. Cooking classes reveal the simplicity behind the seemingly complicated dishes, and mastering the market is an important survival skill.

In between the cluttered cities and towns is the rural heartland, which is a mix of rice paddies, tropical forests and squat villages tied to the agricultural clock. In the north, the forests and fields bump up against toothy blue mountains decorated with silvery waterfalls. In the south, scraggy limestone cliffs poke out of the cultivated landscape like prehistoric skyscrapers. The usually arid northeast emits an emerald hue during the rainy season when tender green rice shoots carpet the landscape.

The celestial world is a close confidant in this Buddhist nation, and religious devotion is colourful and ubiquitous. Gleaming temples and golden Buddhas frame both the rural and the modern landscape. Ancient banyan trees are ceremoniously wrapped in sacred cloth to honour the resident spirits, fortune-bringing shrines decorate humble homes as well as monumental malls, while garland-festooned dashboards ward off traffic accidents. Visitors can join the conversation through meditation retreats in Chiang Mai, religious festivals in northeastern Thailand, underground cave shrines in Kanchanaburi and Phetchaburi, and hilltop temples in northern Thailand.

With a long coastline (actually, two coastlines) and jungle-topped islands anchored in azure waters, Thailand is a tropical getaway for the hedonist and the hermit, the prince and the pauper. This paradise offers a varied menu: playing in the gentle surf of Ko Lipe, diving with whale sharks off Ko Tao, scaling the sea cliffs of Krabi, kiteboarding in Hua Hin, partying on Ko Phi-Phi, recuperating at a health resort on Ko Samui and feasting on the beach wherever sand meets sea.

Traveling abroad allows Laurence Grigorov to broaden his view and knowledge of not only foreign cultures and influences but also for design and construction trends. This inspiration is often used to model the designs and layouts of upcoming and future developments and allow for new and improved techniques in construction to be used.

Words courtesy of www.lonelyplanet.com

Thailand

Messi as Brilliant as Ever for La Liga Champions Barca

L. Messi

As director of a residential property development company based in Johannesburg, Laurence Grigorov is involved in all aspects of the development process, including land acquisition, rezoning applications, architectural design as well as the finance and legal components of these complex projects.

Laurence Grigorov enjoys watching football as part of his hobbies and is a life-long supporter of Barcelona football club.

Recently, the Catalans have clinched their eighth Liga title in 11 seasons, thanks in no small part to the continuing excellence of their No.10

When Lionel Messi placed fifth in last year’s Ballon d’Or, he was as classy in his response as he is on the field. “It is always the case in football that the team collective is more important than the individual,” he told Diario Sport.

But anyone who has watched him play this season would suggest the snub started a fire in his belly, with his exceptional form having allowed Barcelona to cruise to a second successive Liga title – not to mention the final of the Copa del Rey, and the last four of the Champions League.
The Argentine turns 32 in the summer, but he’s showing no signs of slowing down, with 34 goals and 15 assists putting him top of both charts in La Liga.

Messi may have suggested that he misses the domestic competition of Cristiano Ronaldo, with his former Real Madrid rival having moved to Juventus last summer, but the Portuguese's departure clearly hasn't affected the No.10's motivation.
The Barcelona skipper has helped his side dominate La Liga from start to finish – the Catalans have been top since week 14.

Messi himself is set to clinch the Trofeo Pichichi for the third successive season, with Luis Suarez and Karim Benzema, on 21 goals, some way behind his tally of 34.
In the race for the European Golden Shoe, only Kylian Mbappe, with 30 strikes, is anywhere near him as he eyes up a record sixth prize.

“It is always important to improve individually, but this is in light of the collective,” Messi said earlier this season.

“It is only important if you can help your team and be more successful on the pitch.”

He’s certainly done that. The forward’s goals alone have been worth 17 points for Barcelona – the difference between the Blaugrana topping the La Liga table rather than trailing Atletico Madrid in second.

He’s been directly involved in 56 per cent of their 86 goals scored – with particular highlights his hat-trick and two assists in the 5-0 win at Levante, and his hat-trick and assist in the 4-2 victory against Sevilla.

Champions of Spain is a fantastic and well-deserved achievement, but Champions of Europe is the title Barcelona crave again – and Messi is in the form to deliver it.