A look at China's new megastructure — a luxury hotel that is 17 storeys underground
In recent times, China has achieved many infrastructural wonders making huge bridges, anti-smog towers, etc. Now an underground hotel is under construction in an abandoned quarry which goes 17 storeys below the ground level.
Shimao Wonderland Intercontinental or the ‘Deep Pit Hotel’ is being built in a deep pit beside Tianma Mountain in Songjiang district of Shanghai. Constructed by British InterContinental Hotels Group with an investment of CNY 555 million, the hotel will have 19 floors—17 below ground level and two above it.
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The quarry in which the hotel is being built was created by Japanese invaders who used the stones extracted from it to build bunkers. It goes 80 metres deep.
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The project started as early as 2006 and the Shimao Group (a Chinese realtor who is also involved in the project) spent nearly seven years on scientific feasibility studies and geological examination to solve all the architectural problems of the underground space.
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The construction work on the project started in 2013. Though, it was slated to open in 2016 but a delay means it will open by the end of this year.
As per the design plan, the main building of the hotel will have a hotel lobby, conference centre, guest room section, entertainment, catering and logistics services. The hotel will also have 370 rooms including an underwater room situated on the bottom-most floor.
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The plan of the hotel also include multiple indoor and outdoor gardens and a landscape waterfall which hangs from the cliff. (Information source: Baike-Baidu | Picture source: People’s Daily, China Underground, Baike Baidu)
