Hotel da Luz – PROMONTORIO

Hotel da Luz

Hotel da Luz

Bay of Cascais, Portugal

2007

As part of the Cascais Marina masterplan commissioned by the leaseholder, promontorio designed a major hotel anchor. At the end of the marina, in front of the super-yachts’ pier, promontorio proposed an iconic 33-storey luxury hotel tower symbolically spearheading the rebirth of Cascais as a key tourism destination within the Lisbon region. The Hotel of Light, or Lighthouse, evoking the medieval fortress’ name, is positioned at one of the most westerly points of Europe, evocatively confronting Manhattan across the Atlantic, and aims to create the critical mass, dynamics and lifestyle that make marinas around the world exciting and glamorous destinations.

Conceptually, and as a metaphor of the site, the building’s winding profile is mathematically generated from an elliptical plan, rotating on a structural compact core where the elevators, stairs and shafts are located. The project will meet the highest environmental standards of design sustainability, namely leed (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), an evaluation that takes into account not just the structure itself but its environmental sustainability throughout its entire lifespan. The building’s skin, with a triple-layer glass facade and floor-to-ceiling windows, resonates the metaphor of a fish skin while integrating high-performance sun protection and aerogel based glare-free interior lighting. In addition, the facade’s panels in BIPV systems (Building Integrated PhotoVoltaics) will produce a substantial amount of the energy consumed in the hotel.

Location: Bay of Cascais, Portugal

Operator: Marcascais, SA

Programme: 5-star all-suites 240-bdr hotel, 600-seater conference centre, restaurant and spa

Gross built area: 25,250 sq. m

Project: 2007