Reflections
« An architecture of glass to magnify a singular moment, for the span of a promise »
At the close of day, the setting sun enters the hall and lights the stage — a composition carefully devised to heighten the theatricality of the moment when two souls decide to say yes.
Set in Yangon, Myanmar's former capital, this project takes place within the prestigious Inya Lake Hotel. Post-Soviet in style, built on the shores of Inya Lake at the heart of the city, the hotel is one of its enduring icons. Having first engaged us for a feasibility study on renovating the interiors and façades of the hotel's northern wing, the client then asked us to explore the possibility of building a new extension on the existing forecourt facing the lake.
Since the existing reception hall already hosts wedding ceremonies, the decision was made to create a more intimate room for engagement ceremonies, in a majestic setting with the lake, its wooded banks and the sky as its only horizon. It had to seat up to 200 guests within a footprint that could not exceed that of the existing forecourt. We explored two design options — a rectangular form and an elliptical one — each time creating a new outdoor forecourt, covered but open, tied to the existing exterior walkway.
II.01
Locating the project site, Myanmar
The project site is in Yangon, in the south of the country.
II.02
Yangon region, project site
This second map zooms in on the Yangon metropolitan area and locates the project site more precisely within the West Yangon district.
II.03
Project site on the shores of Inya Lake
Closer still, the lake shores and the surrounding buildings come into view. The Inya Lake Hotel sits on the northern part of the lake, in an area that has remained almost free of residential building.
II.04
Site analysis — solar diagram, access and views
This closer view clarifies the hotel's structure. The bedrooms occupy the long southern wing, the existing reception halls the northern part. The drop-off is to the east; the forecourt is reached along a covered exterior walkway. From the forecourt, the peripheral views over the lake are splendid.
III.01
Site plan, option A
Option A is the rectangular block, set on a reflecting pool and raised above lake level by a series of steps forming an infinity cascade. The extension's dimensions were set to continue the lines of the existing hall, creating a subtle dialogue between the engagement room and the wedding hall.
III.02
Site plan, option B
Option B takes the gamble of moving away from the strongly geometric rhythm of the post-Soviet hotel, to echo instead the organic forms of the lake and the surrounding vegetation.
III.03
Longitudinal perspective section, option A
This longitudinal perspective section reveals the heart of the constructive machinery of the fully glazed hall. It shows clearly the relationship between the covered outdoor forecourt and the room that continues from it.
III.04
Cross perspective section, option A
This cross perspective section shows the relationship between the extension and the existing building, in particular the decks over the reflecting pool that serve as lateral fire exits and as the main access. On the left is the system of steps that takes up the level difference with the lake.
III.05
Longitudinal perspective section, option B
This longitudinal perspective section through option B reveals a logic similar to option A, with a covered forecourt facing the glazed hall.
III.06
Cross perspective section, option B
Because the interior spaces of option B are round, the tables can be laid out more freely — less rigid, more intimate.
III.07
Exploded axonometric — façade detail
This exploded axonometric makes the constructive principles adopted for both options clearer. To meet the client's wish for a fully glazed hall in such a tropical climate, we chose a high-performance double skin limiting overheating. The outer glass wall conceals the depth of the recessed roof, creating an effect of complete transparency. A screen forms a kinetic system, casting shifting shadows and light, and adding one more sensory dimension to the experience.
IV.01
Watercolour — view from the lake, option A
This view shows option A from the southern gardens. The small leaves set in the upper part stir with the wind, while the glazing reflects, depending on the angle, now the lake, now the sky.
IV.02
Watercolour — view from the gardens, option A
This view from the lake shows the system of steps made necessary by the forecourt sitting above the banks. It shows the value of aligning the extension's walls with the existing wall, to open a fine perspective from the exterior walkway.
IV.03
Watercolour — view from the gardens, option B
If option B departs from the brutalist architecture of the existing hotel through its elliptical form, it echoes it directly in the paired circular columns carrying the roof — making for a harmonious, coherent whole.
IV.04
Watercolour — view from the lake, option B
From the lake, the hall is mirrored on the surface of the water. At the close of day, the setting sun enters the room and lights the stage — a composition carefully devised to heighten the theatricality of the moment when two souls decide to say yes.