From Quarry to Ritzy: Songjiang Green Resort

A 37,237 sq ft (3,459 sq m) green roof covers the entirety of a new green resort under construction in Shanghai's Songjiang district, just southwest of China's most populous city. The hotel, built into a previously used 328 ft (100m) quarry, will feature approximately 400 rooms, restaurants, sports facilities and even some underwater areas for guests. Sounds pretty energy intensive, right? Well...yes, but like any green resort worth its weight in renminbi, the Songjiang Hotel explored alternative energy sources for their electrical and heating systems. The alt energy winner? Geothermal. The swank five-star resort is expected to open in May of 2009. Via ::Designflute Via ::Inhabitat Also in TreeHugger: Tibetan Eco-lodge