The upside down hotel said to have inspired Star Wars faces demolition | CNN
The influence of Hotel du Lac in Tunis, shaped like an upside-down pyramid with serrated edges, would later be seen in the fictional Sandcrawler vehicle used by the Jawas of the Tatooine desert planet in the film.
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Hôtel du Lac, Tunis - Wikipedia
The striking design, departing from traditional Arab and European architecture, made the hotel a symbol of modernism in Tunis. It remains an important example of Brutalism in North Africa. Its distinctive shape has prompted comparisons with the sandcrawler vehicle of the Star Wars films.
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The hotel was privatised in the 1990, but it fell into disrepair and closed in 2000. It was bought by the Libyan Arab Foreign Investment Company (LAFICO) in 2013, which proposed demolishing the building and spending up to $100m to replace it with a new five-star hotel tower. Concerns about imminent demolition were raised again in 2019.
Normally I don’t like brutalist stuff, but this is actually pretty cool
Brutalism + greenery is always a good combo I think
You gotta have the plants
It’s the thing that separates the “This is meant to be oppressive” from the “Concrete is cheap, strong and gives you nice sharp corners”
I live near an old neighborhood that is being redeveloped. Many of the new buildings don’t feel soulless because they actually are built around the trees that have grown for the past 70ish years. The size of Trees really helps and keeping as many old trees as possible really helps.
Also this is brown, not gray, and the edges have an interesting geometry.
Personally I think brutalism works best when you integrate it into a park or other kind of large public complex.
That’s a good call. I grew up in Seattle, and there’s a brutalist park called Freeway Park that is absolutely full of plants and I really like that one too.
Have you seen the Barbican in London? Entire brutalist district that you’d probably love. Brutalism + plant life is extremely pleasant.
Oh wow! That is really cool. I went to London once, but I didn’t get to this apparently. Wish I’d known about it.
One of the strongest demonstrations the brutalism can actually feel futurist and very liveable. It’s a really nice vibe with the water too, very peaceful.