Radical Innovation Award 2016 Competition Winners, Hotel Design Contest News

Radical Innovation Award 2016 Competition News

Architecture Contest – hospitality concept incubator seeking to challenge the hotel industry

6 Oct 2016

Driftscape Wins 2016 Radical Innovation Award

Drone Hotel Concept by HOK’s Toronto Office Awarded $10,000 Grand Prize, by HOK Toronto

Concept “Driftscape,” a mobile hotel that integrates drone technology, by HOK’s Toronto office.

Last night, over 200 guests including professionals from hospitality, investment, design, brand, and development, gathered for the 10th annual Radical Innovation Awards at the New Museum in New York City.

Two professional finalists, Driftscape and Nesting, presented their concepts to a live audience. The Radical Innovation jury and audience posed questions designed to test the concept’s feasibility for future development, and following this question and answer session, audience members voted for the idea they felt had the power to change the hotel industry.

Radical Innovation Award 2016 Competition winners:

Radical Innovation Founder John Hardy (center) with Ian Rolston and Randa Tukan of HOK’s Toronto office

HOK’s Toronto office, the creators of Driftscape, received the grand prize of $10,000 and the chance to have their idea further developed in the marketplace. Runner-up, Paris-based MM Architects Designers & Planners received a $5,000 prize for their concept Nesting, while the student winner, Juan Orduz of the University of Nevada Las Vegas was awarded $1,500 for his concept Space View Inn.

2016 GRAND PRIZE WINNER: DRIFTSCAPE
Submitted by HOK’s Toronto office | Canada

Inspired by the fundamental human urge to wander, HOK’s Toronto office designed Driftscape as a way to provide a fully immersive, significantly heightened guest experience. Driftscape is a mobile, self-sustaining hotel that, through the use of drone-technology, allows guests to touch down in diverse locations unattainable to traditional hotels. Driftscape hotels are comprised of modular units: the “Driftcraft,” an autonomous guestroom pod, and the “Oasis,” the amenity and service base. Each Driftcraft is designed to accommodate two guests, and support untethered excursions of 2-3 days before returning to the Oasis to be refreshed with necessary amenities.

“Driftscape meets growing market demand for authentic, immersive experiences with a concept that is entirely new and original,” John Hardy, CEO of The John Hardy Group and Founder of Radical Innovation. “The audience was won over not only by the romance of the idea, but the amount of research supporting its feasibility.”

2016 PROFESSIONAL RUNNER-UP: NESTING
Submitted by MM Architects Designers & Planners | France

2016 STUDENT WINNER: SPACE VIEW INN
Submitted by Juan Orduz, University of Nevada Las Vegas | USA

26 Aug 2016

2016 Radical Innovation Award Competition News

Driftscape – mobile, self-sustaining hotel, by HOK Toronto

HOK’s Toronto office was selected by Radical Innovation jury members for their concept “Driftscape,” a mobile hotel that integrates drone technology.

What is Driftscape?
Driftscape is a mobile, self-sustaining hotel that, through the use of drone technology, allows guests to touch down in diverse locations unattainable to traditional hotels. Driftscape hotels are comprised of modular units: The “Driftcraft”, an autonomous guestroom pod and the “Oasis”, the amenity and service base.

What makes Driftscape unlike any other existing or proposed hospitality concept?

This one-of-a-kind concept is different at so many levels:

• It provides access to areas not normally accessible via a traditional hotel format
• Allows immersive and 360-degree views of the site and surroundings
• It is an untethered, customizable, and autonomous experience
• It leaves very little, if any, footprint onto the physical environment
• It offers a “reverse arrival” sequence by arriving to the guestroom first, thus maximizing the focus on the guest and destination experience.

What inspired the concept?
To set off on an adventure, to leave all comforts behind and wander in pursuit of the unknown has been a fundamental urge of humankind throughout history. We thus set out in search of a way to fulfill this urge, seeking a fully “immersive,” significantly heightened guest experience and to provide a unique way to wander/drift and experience viewpoint of this amazing world we live in, from above and within.

Are there any particular locations that you think Driftscape would be best suited for?
Driftscape is at its best immersing guests in breathtaking locales allowing them to roam, hover and explore each, from a very unique vantage point. For example roam the plains of the Serengeti, hover over the Grand Canyon, or drift through the Pearl Water fall in China. Driftscape allows guests to customize their experience of unique global destinations, from above and from within, at their leisure and from the comfort of their hotel.

How soon do you think Driftscape could come to reality? What would be the biggest challenge and what solution would you propose?
From the research on available technologies that we conducted during the design charrettes, it seems the technology is already available in some form i.e., Ehang 184 or the Puffin Personal Air Vehicle. It is expected to be available for commercial use in as early as five years.

Foreseen challenges regarding regulatory restriction that govern air space are expected, however, rigorous testing and safety features that eliminate operational errors will help to dispel concerns and pave the way for widespread use.

Why should a guest want to stay there?
Driftscape allows guests to customize their experience of unique global destinations, from above and from within, at their leisure and from the comfort of their hotel. It is truly a one-of-a-kind experience.

HOK Toronto

Radical Innovation Award 2016 Competition Finalists

Radical Innovation Award Finalists in 2016

Driftscape and Nesting Will Compete for Grand Prize Alongside Student Finalist Space View Inn

New York, NY (June 2016) – Radical Innovation, a hospitality concept incubator seeking to challenge
the hotel industry with progressive thinking in design and operations, announces finalists in the Radical
Innovation Award 2016 competition. Two professional finalists, Driftscape and Nesting, were selected by jury
members to compete for the grand prize and present their concepts alongside the student prize winner,
Space View Inn, October 5th at the New Museum in New York.

Finalists were chosen from an exceptional selection of entries submitted from more than 20 countries. The
Radical Innovation jury, comprised of top hospitality executives and design experts, selected the finalists
based on their creativity and design, as well as their ability to impact the industry.

On October 5th, finalists will present their ideas to the jury on-stage at the New Museum. A live vote by
audience members will determine whether Driftscape by HOK’s Toronto office or Nesting by MM Architects
Designers & Planners (Paris) will be named the professional grand-prize winner and recipient of the $10,000
to further their concept. The runner-up will take home a prize of $5,000.

The student winner, Space View Inn by Juan Orduz (University of Nevada Las Vegas), will also present onstage
at the New Museum, and in addition to receiving a $1,500 cash prize, he will continue his education in
the Hospitality Design Master’s program at UNLV.

The event was founded and is co-produced by The John Hardy Group with support from founding sponsor
Global Allies, official partner Sleeper magazine and media partner Architizer. Innovator level sponsors
include AccorHotels, UNLV School of Architecture, Beyer Brown, DFL Legal, Son & Sons, and Martin
Stringfellow Associates.

Radical Innovation Award Finalists – 2016

2016 PROFESSIONAL FINALISTS:

Driftscape | Submitted by HOK’s Toronto office | Canada

Driftscape is a mobile, self-sustaining hotel that, through the use of drone technology, allows guests to roam
or touch down in diverse locations unattainable to traditional hotels. Driftscape hotels are made up of several
modular units for ease of construction and mobility. Components include the “Oasis,” formed of operational
and community units and a food and beverage element, and the “Driftcraft,” a single volume guest room unit
that provides 360-degree views to the outside world and is fitted for untethered excursions of two to three
days. Driftcraft is designed with minimal impact to sensitive environments, preserving the integrity and
authenticity of the experience.

Nesting | Submitted by MM Architects Designers & Planners | France

Nesting reimagines how we utilize urban parks and landscapes through a partnership between public and
private entities. In response to the shortage of available space within cities, the lack of funding for essential
parks and public spaces, and increasingly confined, restricted urban lifestyles, Nesting proposes introducing
smart, flexible private spaces that will generate new experiences as well as revenue. The completely
customizable modular units may be connected for versatile uses from suites to meeting rooms, and aim to
create a greater sense of well being through interaction with nature, as well as community.

2016 STUDENT WINNER:

Space View Inn | Submitted by Juan Orduz | USA

Space View Inn is a form of space travel that focuses on principles of transcendence and inclusion. Current
space structures are characterized by small, confined spaces not conducive to meaningful and enjoyable
travel experiences. Space View Inn proposes using an expanded truss system to support and add
boundaries to a main spherical volume that allows guests to experience incredible views as well as
microgravity in a large interior space. Additionally, the concept proposes a more inclusive, democratic form of
space travel by introducing a lottery system that makes the experience possible for ordinary individuals, as
well the very wealthy.

Radical Innovation Jury

Michael Medzigian, CEO and Director, Carey Watermark Investors
Jena Thornton, LEED AP, Managing Director, Eagle Rock Ventures
Simon Turner, President, Global Development, Starwood Hotels
James Woods, COO, The Bowls
Wing T. Chao, Founding Principal, Wing T. Chao Architect
Claude Amar, President, The John Hardy Group International

About Radical Innovation

Radical Innovation challenges the hotel industry to elevate the guest experience by calling for new ideas in
design and operations. Each year, submissions are received and reviewed by a jury of hotel insiders. Select
finalists present their concepts in front of industry influencers and investors during a live event where the
audience votes to determine the winner. Since its founding, Radical Innovation has awarded nearly $100,000
to progressive architectural and hospitality-minded thinkers.

About The John Hardy Group

The John Hardy Group is a strategic, transformational development services firm for investors and brands
engaged in hospitality real estate. Leveraging its international expertise, the group delivers feasibility
analysis, project management, development management, and construction management, as well as project
accounting for capex, renovations, redevelopment, and new development for both individual deals and entire
portfolios.

JHG is recognized as the leader in providing creative solutions to complex building challenges, tapping its
diverse team, using proprietary project research and planning, and specialized in-house software that tracks
progress and budget conformance. The firm excels as a bridge between the ambition of its clients and
project realization, having managed more than $6 billion in development-related assignments encompassing
870 hospitality projects in 35 countries. Offices are located in Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York, Paris and
Honolulu.

Location: Paris, France