Dream Downtown
346-360 West 17th Street
aka 351-365 West 16th Street
New York, New York

WQB worked with the Chatwal group to modify and update the first floor of the Dream downtown. WQB Architecture has designed a front façade on the first floor that can be opened to the public to link the front space to the outdoor space when weather permits. The front façade is part of an overall collective effort with the interior design group LBN to replace the existing restaurant space with a strongly themed space based upon a formula that proved successful in London. Our involvement touched many aspects of the project from place of assembly and exiting work to working with the contractor to help phase the project so that the hotel and other functions could properly function during construction of the new restaurant, juice bar and operable façade. The design and construction of this project are being completed on a fast track basis with construction and design happening simultaneously.

This film themed park is developed jointly by the Tuanpo Investment Development Corp and Tianjin Film Studio. It is located at the northwest corner of the famed Tuanpo lake, where the Duliujian River flows into the lake. The 36 hectare site is recliner. The long and narrow strip of land of about 197 hectares is also included in the master plan development as natural buffer zone to the themed park. One of the challenges is to preserve the integrity of a bird sanctuary, which is next to the themed park site, greeting flocks of migrating birds annually.

Our design studies the existing but abandoned dams and water channels at the river inlet to the lake, and used it to build attractions based on Tianjin’s history of river trans- port and its related early urban culture as a port city. Tian jin’s colonial history is another content we used for the themed park. Movie-sets from different concessions at the turn of 20th century including French, English, Japanese, and Russian are created, and old trolleys are used as means of transportation for tourists in the park. A film production zone is designed in the park to include movie stages, editing studios and multimedia production facili ties. Tourist routes are designed to separate from film and TV production traffic.

In addition to film-themed entertainment, other attractions are designed in different  zones of the park, including air disaster simulation, wetlands, mud park, fishermen’s village, treasure island, water screen and  birdwatching paths.

Themed Entertainment indoor/outdoor Waterpark for children of all ages.

 

Intimate Boutique Spa Hotel, Hot Springs Classical Garden & Arboretum, Organic Agricultural Research Center, Education and Gardens/Vineyards

5 Star full service Resort Hotel, Conference Center, Banquet and Wedding Center, Specialty Restaurants and Retail

WQB Architecture is actively involved in the development of BIRR Castle to make it a
more desirable international destination.

Current attractions include:

• Tourism: The Demesne, The Science Center, Killeen
• Agriculture and Forestry (Dairy farm 300 hectares, Forest: Old Oaklands)
• Properties and Town Sites (in the town/on the estate)
• Town Shopping and Farmers Market
• Outdoor and Indoor Activities

Future Enhancements:

• Expanded Interactive Science Center
• Killeen Farms Restaurants and Shops
• BIRR Retreat – elegant retreat and culinary education experience
• BIRR Golf & Sports experience
• BIRR Family Resort
• Event Space

In 2018, Dream Hotels purchased an existing lakefront property in Bethel, New York for the development of the Chapin Estate and The Chatwal Lodge. With this property came a road site on New York State Route 17B at Swan Lake Road. This connects the new Resorts World Casino and the Bethel Woods Concert site and museum both are significant tourism sites. It was determined to build an Unscripted Hotel to service concert clients and seasonal tourists. The hotel will have three food and beverage venues. As part of the site development, the project also includes a small retail center, Bethel Commons. The Unscripted Hotel will have 92 rooms, three restaurants, and a banquet space for small weddings. WQB worked with the Rockwell Group to develop the program and designs for Bethel Hotel and retail spaces.

Dream Hotel Midtown
Broadway & 55th Street
New York, New York

Hampshire Hotels and Resorts have operated 210 West 55th Street, formally known as the Woodword Hotel, under a variety of franchise agreements and reservation systems for over 20 years. The property also includes two other buildings which comprise the entire block of West 55th Street between Broadway and Seventh Avenue. As master-planner and architect for the property, WQB Architecture prepared designs for building renovation and additions, demolition/redevelopment of the entire site; redevelopment of 206 W. 55th Street as an extended stay hotel, and 200 w. 55th as Hampshire’s corporate offices. The 280-room hotel is currently the new flagship for “The Dream” HHR’s new boutique chain, which is being operated as a “Leading Hotel of the World” and is currently being introduced in Downtown Manhattan, Bangkok and India.

This is the master plan and architectural design of a 50-key super luxury hotel in the city of Gu’an, about 100km south of Beijing. The design emphasizes the axial relationship with Beijing’s Forbidden City, and proposed a low-rise buildings layout for the resort, which is symmetrical with sequences of traditional courtyards in the center, and individual guesthouse villas on the wings.

The scheme of “double dragon” is used as an analogy and symbolism with simplified traditional architecture style of grey roof and white walls. Intricate waterways are planned inside the resort. Covered walkways, electric trams for guests and for goods are separately planned and coordinated.

Cabarete, located on the Atlantic Coast of the Dominican Republic, has been known for years as one of the top 3 windsurfing spots in the world. An international development team has purchased a mile of pristine beach called The Miracle Mile for construction of 400 condominiums, a shopping village, and a 300 key full service Hyatt Regency Resort. The resort will feature 260 rooms and suites and 40 timeshare condominiums as well as a 15,000sf banquet/conference center with full corporate services, a Hyatt Signature Spa, Camp Hyatt, and a full complement of sports facilities and restaurant venues. As the only full service facility in Cabarete, the Hyatt is expected to be the home of major sporting events, corporate meetings, weddings and family vacations for years to come.

Originally built for one of the grand old theatre companies of New York, the Lambs Club was designed in 1905 by Stanford White, partner in the acclaimed architecture firm of McKim, Mead and White who designed the Old Pennsylvania Station and Boston Public Library Buildings. WQB Architecture, the Architect of Record, with interior design by The Office of Thierry Despont, was tasked with overseeing the complete renovation and architectural redesign of the building to create a magnificent and contextual 5-star boutique hotel in the heart of Time’s Square. The hotel is the jewel in the crown of the Hampshire Hotel franchise. New construction included the rehabilitation and addition to the existing landmarked façade, a four-story penthouse addition (which does not affect street side views of the structure), and a grand two-story atrium in the second floor lounge. The hotel includes a signature Geoffrey Zakarian restaurant, health spa, conference rooms, and banquet facilities in the basement. Construction was completed in 2010.