Guests can sleep directly on the edge of steep, narrow "cliffs"
According to the UK's Daily Mail on January 9, Polish designers have created a uniquely shaped "rock hotel" for the northeastern Spanish city of Barcelona. Guests not only can climb onto the massive rocks outside the hotel to overlook the cityscape, but can also sleep directly on the edge of steep, narrow "cliffs." The hope is that one day Barcelona will turn this design into reality, allowing people to experience the thrill of wilderness camping within the city.
This 100-meter-tall creative building is called the "Barcelona Rock Hotel." Its main structure consists of many 4-meter-high boulders embedded in specially reinforced concrete, with gaps between each boulder to allow for ventilation. It was designed by the Polish UGO architectural firm for the 2011 "Bohemian Backpackers' Hotel" international design competition. The competition required each entrant to design a 100-meter-tall, individually styled hotel that included leisure areas, shopping areas, a café, and that would become a new landmark at its location.
According to Hucong Kolwarski, general manager of UGO, the designers drew inspiration from the Montserrat mountain range on the outskirts of Barcelona. They wanted the rock hotel to resemble a part of these towering mountains.
In the future, in addition to 50 standard guest rooms, the hotel will feature advanced recreational facilities such as a swimming pool, gym, café, hot spring bath, shopping mall, and a rock climbing practice wall. Guests who are brave enough can even try sleeping on the narrow cliffs on the hotel’s exterior façade, falling asleep under the starry sky. Of course, these cliffs are equipped with safety ropes—guests just need to secure themselves, and their safety is guaranteed.