Located to the north of Chongqing on the banks of Palm Lake and the Taiping Reservoir, the 9,600m2 Palm Island project is a new hospitality precinct designed by HASSELL.

The design is inspired by the geography of Chongqing, where Yangtze River and Jialing River converge, giving the city its nickname of being ‘connected by two rivers.’

Water is the key design element of the project, which is interspersed with light and reflections.

According to John Pauline, design principal of HASSELL Hong Kong who led the project, “Water conceptually connects the existing water bodies, and also becomes an effective ‘elevation’ by reflecting the buildings.”

It features five buildings housing six different restaurants, which integrate visually through an infinity pool-style water feature, creating an impression of buildings floating on water.

The restaurant provides panoramic views of natural water on one side and a private `water courtyard’ on the other.

The design team was challenged to give each restaurant equally good views. They even managed to conceal the kitchen and restrooms under it.

Palm Spring features a crystal-like glass structure and an external white ceramic covering that changes appearance with the reflections in the water during the day as well as at night.

The glass structure and external aluminium screens seem to interact with the lake to give off a ‘musical quality.’

“The rigid, but fluid patterns of white rods will always be viewed through reflections from the water. The movement of the water will continuously ‘vibrate’ the straight lines. The reflections of the sunlit white rods are highlighted against the dark tiles under the water, and during the evening the effect will be further enhanced with the lighting on the rods.”

“Finally, the strong wave patterns that are formed in the elevation are a result of the combination of using thicker and thinner vertical rods. The elements are all straight, and not physically connected into a wave pattern, and so it is the viewer’s perception that ‘plays’ to experience the rhythm and musicality of the space.” added Pauline.

The project was constructed for Palm Springs Real Estate Development and was completed in 2012.

World Architecture Festival (WAF) is the largest festival and live awards programme for the global architecture community.

The WAF 2013 will take place in Marina Bay Sands, Singapore from 2-4 October.