18 Oct 2019
Cooper Carry's modular hotel concept wins Radical Innovation Awards
BY Stu Robarts
New York-based architectural practice Cooper Carry has won this year's Radical Innovation Awards for disruptive ideas in the hospitality sector with its collapsible, modular construction concept called Connectic.
The basis of Connectic is a truncated octahedron unit that can be connected to the face of others to create structures that can be reshaped and resized as required.
Cooper Carry explained to CLAD that the shape was chosen partly via a custom-built algorithm and partly as it is an ideal shape for construction, inherently structural and flexible to adapt to any site and conditions.
Connectic has been designed to be adaptable for use in a variety of environments and to be easily disassembled and convenient to store. It would be primarily constructed out of carbon fibre so as to be lightweight and durable.
The modules are 26ft (8m) in height and width, providing ample space for interior furnishings, ceilings and windows and bring adequately sized for event spaces and circulation.
Cooper Carry told CLAD: "Our team drew from a variety of backgrounds, age groups, work experiences and personal travel. We held multiple visioning sessions where they sifted through innumerable ideas until a common theme emerged: the stark lack of flexibility in hospitality.
"Inspired by this year’s Super Bowl in Atlanta, which brought thousands to the city in search of short-term accommodations, we wanted to create a more sustainable solution than another 200-key hotel to meet the ebbs and flows of travel demand. More than that, Connectic could be adapted to meet critical needs for short-term housing in a variety of scenarios, such as disaster relief."
Connectic was chosen as the winner from a shortlist of three finalists by an audience of invited guests at the awards ceremony in New York this week. Cooper Carry was awarded a grand prize of US$10,000 (€9,000, £7,800).
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