A recent webinar organised by Rhinoceros 3D in collaboration with Zaha Hadid Architects and Front Inc. facade consultants offers a detailed insight into the process from design to fabrication and construction for the Morpheus Hotel, one of the world’s most complex buildings and facade systems.
Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, The Morpheus Hotel is a 40 storey tower comprising 780 guest rooms, suites and sky villas along with meeting and event facilities, a casino, restaurant, spa and skypool. The 150,000 sqm development will be the fifth hotel tower at City of Dreams, in Cotai, Macau, the flagship property of Melco Crown Entertainment.
In the video above, project leads from Zaha Hadid Architects and Front Inc, will discuss the role of advanced computational technology from the design to the analysis, and fabrication, as well as the construction of what has been described as “an impossible building structure”, due to open in 2018.
PRESENTERS
- Viviana Muscettola, Zaha Hadid Architects
- Michele Salvi, Zaha Hadid Architects
- Miron Mutyaba, Zaha Hadid Architects
- Ramon van der Heijden, Front Inc.
- Alan Tai, Front Inc.
- Evan Levelle, Front Inc.
TOPIC INDEX
These links will jump to the specific topic listed below.
- Introductions
- Project & Façade Intro
- Movie:Introduction to Morpheus
- Exoskeleton
- Cladding & Geometric Goals
- Parametric Model
- Project Hierarchy
- Cladding Design Development
- Cladding Fabrication
- Fabrication, Site Progress & Conclusion
- Movie:The Making of Morpheus
- Applying the Technology
- Questions for Attendees/Questions for Presenters
mockup of external structure, 
construction of exoskeleton, 
courtesy wikipedia
PROJECT DETAILS
Here are a few statistics that illustrate the complex nature of this building’s structure and façade systems.
| Cladding Area: | 18 000 sq m |
| Panel Count: | 24,577 |
| Connections to Primary Structure: | 18,580 |
| Panel Stiffener Count: | 79,310 |
| Bracket Count: | 1,059,234 |
| Unique Parts: | 1,212,637 |
| Total Parts: | 1,668,301 |
| Fastener Count: | 5,135,563 |
| Extrusion Length: | 137,238 m |
Details courtesy McNeel Wiki
