The Judges Committee has awarded this submission

EXCELLENCE IN ARCHITECTURAL MODELING

PROJECT SUMMARY

How can I design a sustainable hotel? I approached this question with a tad of skepticism, after all: How bad can regular hotels be? Unfortunately, the answer is not good. That's why I've designed Greentop; an eco-friendly hotel devised to support locals and provide tourists with a fun and unique experience. I opted to investigate my topic and then create a physical and online model of my hotel.

WHY?

Our problem is the lack of sustainability in tourism. In other words, tourism is accelerating the depletion of natural resources, which are fundamental in maintaining an ecological balance. Hotels are one of the most significant concerns in terms of damage to the environment, and rightfully so, they release more than 400,000 tonnes of waste every year. Greentop isn't a full-blown solution; that'd be unrealistic. Instead, it's a means to an end, in which the future is a world where tourism benefits a country and doesn't harm the environment.

HOW?

I brought my idea to life by creating an accurate scale model of how the hotel might look. Before I got to the building, however, I had to do rigorous research about modern hotel architecture and effective ways to reduce a building's carbon footprint. After completing my research, I collected various materials and assembled my 3D model with diligence and patience.

WHAT?

Working on this project has opened my eyes to the reality of being an architect major and studying this complicated art form. For example, staying mindful of accurate proportions and finding household items to replicate objects inside the model is incredibly difficult and time-consuming. Not to mention the struggles of getting things to behave in a certain way, like keeping a bush from falling over and making an eye-sore. My prototype's purpose is to serve as the blueprint of what can become of this idea.

SO WHAT?

Evidence of my results is present in the confirmation that this idea is plausible. I've concluded this hotel hasn't been done before, to its full extent, because it isn't profitable. Inside this market, corporations are willing to exploit workers and ruin the environment to increase profits. Boosting the local economy and being conscious about your hotel's carbon footprint isn't financially beneficial unless you employ good enough marketing.

WHAT'S NEXT?

I had a similar thought process to this when completing my project. Although, in the beginning, I made a pretty bare-bones model of the hotel, it certainly got the job done, but I believed it lacked charisma and charm. Dissatisfied with my work, I returned to the drawing board and added details that solidified the look of this model. Even so, If I wished to continue with this project, I'd probably look into designing a 3D model of the hotel inside a program like Sketchup that allows for a more professional and realistic approach.

REFERENCES/ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I obtained my research information from countless websites on the internet, mostly about: modern architecture, consumers' demand for sustainability, and inventive ways to reduce waste meanwhile benefiting local economies. My leading supporter and consultor throughout this project was my mom, who's also an architect. She came up with the idea of the main body of the hotel, so the two boxes supporting the main building.

JUDGES FEEDBACK

I love how you began with a question that many of us might ask, and proceed to lay out a strong case of why building a sustainable hotel is necessary. The actual model of the hotel is an absolute knockout. I love the glass lobbies on each side, the modernist ridges on the main part of the hotel, and the open lobby/lounge to the outside. This looks like it could be in any place with natural beauty in any paradise in the world. A possible exploration would be showing the design of the rooms, or how the day-to-day functioning would work. Such as where does the waste water go, or how are the sheets laundered, or what kind of heating or cooling is used. I certainly hope to actually visit this hotel sometime over the next few decades.

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