Aghobili Hotel Abastumani, Republic of Georgia

Aghobili Hotel
Abastumani, Republic of Georgia
Client: Reddix Gross floor area: 22,000 m2 Rooms: 200 Type of assignment: Winner of invited international competition
Team: Henning Larsen Architects and Buro Happold
Team of architects: Louis Becker, Anders Park (Project Manager), Ulrik Raysse, Anna Carlsson, Johanna Enhörning, Peter Krogtoft, Chritian Schjøl and Sarah Roberts.
The Georgian town of Abastumani, located on the southern slope of the Meskheti Range, is home to three hyperthermic springs and numerous resorts. Abastumani is located close to the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park, one of the largest national parks in Europe. The Abastumani summer is sunny with comfortable temperatures while the winter offers a breathtaking snow-covered landscape. The moderate climate of the Otskhe River Valley makes the area ideal for wellness and as a place of refuge.
Henning Larsen Architects has designed the Aghobili Hotel, a sanctuary located on the foothills of the Meskheti Range and featuring accommodation, a wellness centre and mineral spa. The Aghobili Hotel forms an integrated part of a preserved historic hotel. In order to revitalise the elegant luxury of the existing hotel, the design of the Aghobili Hotel is rooted in the history of Abastumani. This strong contextual identity makes the new hotel stand out as a hybrid of historic and modern design.
The Aghobili Hotel offers stunning views of the Meskheti Range. This constitutes the central distinguished quality of the hotel and is reinforced through transformation of the site in three significant steps:
1. All hotel services and the arrivals area are positioned at a higher elevation. When entering the building, guests are immediately met by a stunning view of the Meskheti Range.
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2. The views of the landscape from the historic hotel building are currently blocked by a new construction. Elimination of this new construction will provide an undisturbed view of the mountainous surroundings.
3. The new part of the Aghobili Hotel is integrated into the forested slope in front of the historic hotel building. The new construction resembles a series of stepping terraces, which follow the contours of the natural hillside from the base of the historic hotel. This provides every room with an undisturbed view of the Meskheti Range.
Reducing energy consumption and using energy generated through low carbon methods are key criteria in the design and operation of buildings to minimise their environmental impact. Hotels consume large amounts of energy but by selecting an appropriate energy strategy, significant energy and financial savings can be achieved. The strategy for the Aghobili Hotel focuses on reducing the demand for energy low conversion and distribution losses and generating energy from renewable sources.
Abastumani is a townlet with only a few thousands inhabitants. The town is located on the southern slopes of the Meskheti Range (Lesser Caucasus), in the small river valley of Otskhe. The Georgian National Astrophysical Observatory is located in Abastumani.
In 1842, a short-lived German colony emerged. In the 1850s, it was recolonised by the Russians and acquired the name Abbas-Tuman after a nearby located village. It became popular for its climate and thermal waters. Its development as a resort is chiefly associated with Grand Duke George Alexandrovich (1871–1899), a member of the Russian imperial family, who had retired there due to his ill health. (Source: Wikipedia.org)
Abastumani is located close to the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park. The park is one of the largest in Europe and covers more than 85,000 hectares of native forest and sub-alpine and alpine meadows. It is home to rare species of flora and fauna. (Source: www.borjomi-kharagauli-np.ge)
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