A look at the six finalists for the Radical Innovation Awards
Each year, the Radical Innovation Awards select a group of professionals to represent the unique and radical transformations occurring in the hospitality industry. This year, the board selected six finalists — three professionals and three students — from across the world.
Some of the focuses of these projects include making use of space in urban areas, using abandoned railway systems, and addressing the industry’s increasing need for isolation. Below is information about each of the six finalists, selected from about 50 entries from over 20 countries.
1. Infinite Explorer | SB Architects | San Francisco
Anyone who has ever taken a train knows it’s possible to be so blown away by the amazing views out the window that they wished they could stop for a second to take it all in. Pitched by SB Architects, that’s exactly the experience the Infinite Explorer aims to provide.
This hospitality concept allows travelers to see more remote destinations in the Western US by traveling along the many abandoned railway lines across the nation. The train’s uniquely designed cabins open at specific points of the journey to allow passengers to step outside and enjoy their surroundings, as well as several planned activities, adventures, and dining experiences.
2. Volumetric High-Rise Modular Hotel | Danny Forster & Architecture | New York
Located on Sixth Avenue in New York City, the AC by Marriott will be the world’s tallest modular hotel after its opening in 2020. But it won’t be an ordinary or plain modular design — instead, this high-rise modular hotel will also be architecturally impressive. Despite its stylish appearance, around 80 percent of the building’s square footage will come from a manufacturer in Poland.
This impressive hotel also uses advanced technology and VR software to streamline the module-building process and ensure quality control throughout the project. Both factory workers and off-site parties can use these tools to visualize what a module should look like during each stage of its construction.
3. Connectic | Cooper Carry | New York
The third professional finalist, Cooper Carry’s Connectic, is a solution for filling awkward or underused spaces. These adaptable, collapsible, and expandable modular units are ideal for pop-up hotels and filling small spaces between and above parking lots, buildings, and walkways.
Connectic affords hotels the opportunity to offer additional amenities they may not have had a place for before. Plus, since they can change in shape and size as needed, hotels can add multiple streams of income depending on their needs at a given time.
4. Rooftop Hotel Gardens | Ruslan Mannapov and Airat Zaidullin | Kazan State University of Architecture and Engineering | Russia
After selecting three professional finalists, the Radical Innovation Awards jury also chose one student winner, as well as two honorable mentions for students. The winning student project is the Rooftop Hotel Gardens, which is a concept that allows guests to book a room on the rooftop of any participating hotel or other building. Essentially, guests will occupy a module-style structure on a rooftop to allow them to fully immerse themselves in the skyline of the city.
5. Revo | Michal Witalis | Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow | Poland
Revo is a hospitality concept that could change the way people travel forever. Using modules, travelers can book hotels through Revo that then get actively deployed to wherever they want to go. Using a global network, people can book and sleep in the same hotel room, but in several different destinations — the physical building no longer limits where people can go.
6. Nebka Protective System | Sharareh Faryadi | Ferdowsi University | Iran
The second student runner-up project is Nebka Protective System, an ecotourism concept that aims to increase cities’ resilience against climate change. NPS organizes spaces in a way that contributes to the survival of cities and towns near deserts that are suffering from the shifting sands. The architecture echoes the appearance of the natural Nebka sandhills while also stabilizing the sand to combat the environmental crisis in these areas.
Finalists to Compete for Title in October
In October, the three professional firms will each present a live pitch at the New Museum in New York City to compete for the grand prize of $10,000 and the runner-up prize of $5,000. A live audience vote will determine the winner, and all finalists will have a chance to meet with industry experts to discuss their concepts.
The creators of the winning student design, Ruslan Mannapov and Airat Zaidullin from KSUAE in Russia, are also invited to present their unique project alongside the professional finalists. They will receive a cash prize of $1,500 and the opportunity to attend the University of Nevada Las Vegas to complete a graduate assistantship in the university’s master of architecture program.
Written by: Holly Welles, BOSS Contributor
Holly Welles is a real estate writer who covers the latest market trends in everything from residential to commercial spaces. She is the editor behind her own blog, The Estate Update, and curates more advice on Twitter.
Leave a Reply