The Italian architect, Fabrizio Frabis, and his Fabris&Partners architecture studio have been those in charge of the dome-shaped additional structure for the Sheraton Hotel in Algeria, for which the versatility of the KRION® Solid Surface mineral compact from the PORCELANOSA Grupo was opted for.
The aim of this project was to create an adjoining structure to the main hotel tower, in a smaller size than the main structure, which would turn out to be appealing by keeping the coherence and visual harmony, along with the attractive design of the hotel.
A spherical dome was eventually built, and the architect was inspired by the sea urchin’s hard shell when creating this dome.
The Sheraton dome building process
For its construction, the architecture studio had to carry out a detailed plan where the final result would meet the whole demands of the building.
Initially, the first part of the work was focused on a symmetrical spherical section without openings to the outside, but afterwards it had to be modified to achieve the perfect harmony with the main tower. This way, it was possible to get the dome to be circular on a drawing basis, and symmetrical in its three-dimensionality.
The next step was to join the dome with the hotel canopy, so it was necessary to make it symmetrical.
Finally, the inside part had to be developed, so the architect opted for making openings to the outside which would follow the path of the ramp, which dominates the inside of the structure.
Materials
The difficulty of the building the dome made it necessary to choose a material which could be used for working on the curved shapes. This is the reason why the architects decided to opt for KRION® from the PORCELANOSA Grupo, a material which provides multifunctionality, versatility and resistance.
Thanks to KRION®, The Fabris&Partners studio was successful in giving the dome its final shape with the desired textures, by representing their creative idea on a circular façade tiled by custom-made pieces from KRION®.
KRION® Pearl has been the choice regarding the finish for this project because of its natural appearance and the brightness coming from the Pearl white colour, therefore, providing the final hotel structure with elegance and sophistication, while staying true to the modern image conveyed by the building.
In addition to the innovative use of KRION® in a project with these characteristics, the engineering work carried out by Butech must be highlighted, in an emblematic project with latest generation acrylic Stone. The Butech technical office adapted the design of the K-Fix anchoring system to the needs of a project with predominant curved forms, and supplied all the necessary materials for a 1,800m2 KRION® structure.
