A new seven-star hotel but as you've never imagined. China is ready to dazzle with the construction of the Intercontinental Shanghai Shimao Wonderland, a huge structure of ultra-luxury which will be opened by the end of 2014 or the beginning of 2015 and has a unique feature: that of being under the sea level. The project was presented a few years ago and was born the idea of ​​enhancing an old quarry in Tianmashan, about 30 km from Shanghai: thus, the hotel, designed by the London firm Atkins, will have the first three floors above the sea level, the rest of them will be below the level of the sea, created inside the cave. The project is not only ambitious, but spectacular: a glass structure 60 meters recreate the effect of a natural waterfall.


The InterContinental Shimao Wonderland is a more than ambitious, destined to reshuffle the cards in the tourism sector and the reception of luxury.

It is well known the passion of Asian skyscrapers that stand out in heaven: the most extravagant or the most exclusive hotels Faulty get to touch the sky, reaching more and more.

The idea of ​​Shanghai Shimao, the company that will build the Wonderland, is more or less the same but the opposite: instead of climbing up the resort will fall down.

This is not the first example of a hotel under the earth, but is the most ambitious so far we saw old mines transformed into hotel rooms for a very special holiday, but not an entire structure down to the ground.

It is the same shape of the site to have given the idea to the designers who have studied how to make better the environment. So next to the hotel from 380 rooms over 19 floors, of which only three including the spa above the sea level, there will be a huge theme park from 428mila sqm.

The hotel will be developed by 100 meters deep down: the two lower levels there will be a restaurant, a sports complex where water sports and an aquarium depth of about 10 meters.

Perhaps the most impressive is the huge 60-meter glass structure designed to simulate the effect of a waterfall, while the cliffs on either side will be designed for bungee jumping and rock climbing.

The project is truly colossal, as the cost: at the moment stands at $ 555 million, but given the ambition, and will rise by much. At the moment we know that the opening is planned between 2014 and 2015 with a cost of about $ 320 per night: to know how we will have a little 'patience.

People walk past a wall mural painted by Brazilian graffiti artists Os Gemeos in Boston August 8, 2012.

Credit: Reuters/Dominick Reuter

BOSTON | Wed Aug 8, 2012 10:52pm EDT

BOSTON (Reuters) - Like many famous works of art before it, a colorful mural that dominates a park across from Boston's main train station has stirred some controversy.

The 70-foot-by-70-foot (21-metre-by-21-metre) painting by Brazilian twin brothers Otavio and Gustafo Pandolfo, known as Os Gemeos, depicts a character wearing bright, mismatched clothes, his face wrapped in what appears to be a scarf except for his squinting eyes.

The work, which will be exhibited until November 2013, became a flashpoint when a local Fox television station quoted passersby criticizing the masked cartoon-like figure, which some found menacing, saying it should be removed.

The mural is painted on an air intake structure on the Greenway in downtown Boston's Dewey Square. The giant piece by Os Gemeos, which is Portuguese for "The Twins," is part of their first solo U.S. exhibition, now on display at the nearby Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston.

Jill Medvedow, director of the museum, played down the controversy. "This work of art is a joyful addition to Boston's skyline. With tremendous mastery of scale, painterly skill and vibrant patterning, Os Gemeos brings urban energy and a rich tradition of Brazilian creativity to Dewey Square in Boston. Good art gets people talking," she said.

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino also tried to defuse the issue.

"We don't need somebody out there to divide us and saying that's a racist thing, that's against a religion. It isn't," he said. "That was made to show a young boy out there and that's what I believe it is."

The mural was funded by the Institute of Contemporary art and private donations to the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, an organization that takes care of five of the city's parks including the one at Dewey Square.

Residents enjoying themselves on the Greenway on Wednesday, where the band Receita de Samba provided additional Brazilian flavor, mostly praised the work for its originality and beauty.

"It's nice," said Loreno St. Dubois, a 58-year-old postal employee from South Boston, who added that he could understand the negatives reactions to it.

Ben Gebo, 27, a freelance photographer hired by the conservancy to document the mural's creation, said as the piece was painted its meaning changed.

"I see it as an interesting artwork. I'm still not exactly sure what it's supposed to be," he said. "It's really up to the eye of the beholder. It definitely draws attention and gets people talking, which I think is the important thing."

(Reporting By Joseph O'Leary; editing by Ros Krasny and Patricia Reaney)

View the original article here

People walk past a wall mural painted by Brazilian graffiti artists Os Gemeos in Boston August 8, 2012.

Credit: Reuters/Dominick Reuter

BOSTON | Wed Aug 8, 2012 10:52pm EDT

BOSTON (Reuters) - Like many famous works of art before it, a colorful mural that dominates a park across from Boston's main train station has stirred some controversy.

The 70-foot-by-70-foot (21-metre-by-21-metre) painting by Brazilian twin brothers Otavio and Gustafo Pandolfo, known as Os Gemeos, depicts a character wearing bright, mismatched clothes, his face wrapped in what appears to be a scarf except for his squinting eyes.

The work, which will be exhibited until November 2013, became a flashpoint when a local Fox television station quoted passersby criticizing the masked cartoon-like figure, which some found menacing, saying it should be removed.

The mural is painted on an air intake structure on the Greenway in downtown Boston's Dewey Square. The giant piece by Os Gemeos, which is Portuguese for "The Twins," is part of their first solo U.S. exhibition, now on display at the nearby Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston.

Jill Medvedow, director of the museum, played down the controversy. "This work of art is a joyful addition to Boston's skyline. With tremendous mastery of scale, painterly skill and vibrant patterning, Os Gemeos brings urban energy and a rich tradition of Brazilian creativity to Dewey Square in Boston. Good art gets people talking," she said.

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino also tried to defuse the issue.

"We don't need somebody out there to divide us and saying that's a racist thing, that's against a religion. It isn't," he said. "That was made to show a young boy out there and that's what I believe it is."

The mural was funded by the Institute of Contemporary art and private donations to the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, an organization that takes care of five of the city's parks including the one at Dewey Square.

Residents enjoying themselves on the Greenway on Wednesday, where the band Receita de Samba provided additional Brazilian flavor, mostly praised the work for its originality and beauty.

"It's nice," said Loreno St. Dubois, a 58-year-old postal employee from South Boston, who added that he could understand the negatives reactions to it.

Ben Gebo, 27, a freelance photographer hired by the conservancy to document the mural's creation, said as the piece was painted its meaning changed.

"I see it as an interesting artwork. I'm still not exactly sure what it's supposed to be," he said. "It's really up to the eye of the beholder. It definitely draws attention and gets people talking, which I think is the important thing."

(Reporting By Joseph O'Leary; editing by Ros Krasny and Patricia Reaney)

View the original article here