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Morpheus wins Structural Award 2019

The Morpheus Hotel in Macau has been named winner of the 2019 Structural Award, organised by the Institution of Structural Engineers. The hotel received recognition for ‘Construction Innovation’, awarded to projects demonstrating structural engineering excellence in the innovative use of construction materials or processes.

Morpheus was designed as a vertical extrusion of the site’s existing abandoned foundations for a condominium tower that did not progress; using this rectangular footprint to define a 40-storey building of two internal vertical circulation cores at podium and roof levels where the hotel’s many guest amenities were required.

Three horizontal vortices generate the voids through the central atrium and define the hotel’s spectacular interior public spaces. In-between these voids, a series of bridges create unique spaces for the restaurants, bars and guest lounges by renowned chefs including Alain Ducasse & Pierre Herme.

Working with BuroHappold Engineering, Zaha Hadid Architects designed the building’s structure to optimise the hotel’s interiors. The world’s first free-form high-rise exoskeleton, its rich pattern of structural members at lower levels progresses upwards to a less dense grid of lighter members at its summit.

In 2018, TIME Magazine listed Morpheus Hotel as one of the World’s Greatest Places based on key factors including quality, originality, innovation, sustainability and influence. Morpheus was also voted ArchDaily’s Building of the Year’ (BOTY) in the hospitality category while Popular Science Magazine included the hotel in their list ‘Best of What New’.

This year, Morpheus was named a winner of National Geographic's ‘Big Sleep Awards’ 2019 and also received the Prix Versailles 2019 for Central and Northeast Asia.

2019 Structural Award winners

Photograph by Ivan Dupont