The Colorado River Bridge Hotel is a design proposal for a very site specific luxury eco-hotel that would span the Colorado River in the form of a large bridge. The design exploits in great detail, the wonders of a specific site on the river without disturbing it in any diverse way.
The ideal location for this hotel is where the river gorge is relatively narrow at the top. The structure would span the narrow gorge in the shape of a giant arch which contains all of the hotels facilities.
There would be at least one hundred rooms and several suites. In addition, the hotel would contain a large restaurant, a bar, a gym, a health spa, an indoor pool, and a retail shop. All of these facilities would operate in the most eco-friendly way possible. As an example, the gym would be fitted with exercise equipment that generates electrical power for the hotel when it is being used by the guests. The guests would actually be able to use the hotel as a bridge since they could walk over the top of the structure on steps that are built into the roof. Guests would also be able to ride one of two capsules from the interior of the hotel down into the river gorge. A large glass section of the floor in the hotel restaurant would allow the guest to see the river below as they dine. Also embedded in the floor of each guest room is a real time digital display of the river below. This digital image could be manipulated by the guests to randomize visual and audio patterns generated by the speed of the actual river current.
A water-activated turbine would be located in the river to power a majority of the electrical needs of the hotel. In addition to the water turbine, there would be four large vertical axis wind turbines mounted on the top of the hotel, along with a large bank of solar cells. These would also generate electrical energy for use in the hotel. Natural ventilation and lighting would be utilized throughout the hotel as well as passive solar heating and cooling techniques. Rainwater would be captured from the roof and from the stairway that runs over the top of the structure, to be stored in underground containers for use in and around the hotel. Out of sight underground parking would be located near the hotel.
The purpose of this design proposal is to suggest ways in which large structures can still be built in the landscape in an eco-friendly and sustainable way. With the alternative energy gathering and storage methods I have described (along with many others) it is my hope that a facility like this could be powered completely off of the grid.
