Holiday Destinations

Mexico's recycled concrete tube hotel

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Tubohotel in Mexico houses rooms created from recycled concrete tubes (Image: Luis Gordoa/T3arc)
Tubohotel in Mexico houses rooms created from recycled concrete tubes (Image: Luis Gordoa/T3arc)
Tubohotel, Mexico (Image: Luis Gordoa/T3arc)
Tubohotel, Mexico (Image: Luis Gordoa/T3arc)
Tubohotel in Mexico houses rooms created from recycled concrete tubes (Image: Luis Gordoa/T3arc)
Tubohotel, Mexico (Image: Luis Gordoa/T3arc)
Tubohotel in Mexico houses rooms created from recycled concrete tubes (Image: Luis Gordoa/T3arc)
Tubohotel, Mexico (Image: Luis Gordoa/T3arc)
Tubohotel, Mexico (Image: Luis Gordoa/T3arc)
Tubohotel, Mexico (Image by Luis Gordoa/T3arc)
Tubohotel, Mexico (Image by Luis Gordoa/T3arc)
Daspark Hotel designed by Andreas Strauss (Image: Dietmar Tollerian from Despark Hotel)
Tubohotel in Mexico houses rooms created from recycled concrete tubes (Image: Luis Gordoa/T3arc)
Tubohotel, Mexico (Image: Luis Gordoa/T3arc)
Tubohotel, Mexico (Image: Luis Gordoa/T3arc)
Tubohotel in Mexico houses rooms created from recycled concrete tubes (Image: Luis Gordoa/T3arc)
Tubohotel in Mexico houses rooms created from recycled concrete tubes (Image: Luis Gordoa/T3arc)
The making of Tubohotel (Image: Luis Gordoa/T3arc)
The making of Tubohotel (Image: Luis Gordoa/T3arc)
The making of Tubohotel (Image: Luis Gordoa/T3arc)
The making of Tubohotel (Image: T3arc)
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Though the idea of sleeping inside a concrete tube probably doesn't sound that appealing, architect firm T3arc have found a way to make sleeping inside a pipe not only comfortable but also a holiday experience. Mexico's Tubohotel, which opened in 2010, is a unique and affordable holiday destination created from recycled concrete tubes. Located approximately 45 minutes south of Mexico City in the village of Tepoztlan, Morelos, the rooms of the hotel are stacked in a pyramid shape, reflecting the Aztec pyramid of El Tepozteco that overlooks the town.

The original pipe hotel concept comes from German architect, Andreas Strauss, who created Dasparkhotel in 2006. The T3arc architects drew inspiration from Strauss and expanded on the idea to create two-story triangular modules. By stacking one tube on top of two base tubes, they were able to create a striking visual display without impacting the surrounding natural environment.

Tubohotel in Mexico houses rooms created from recycled concrete tubes (Image: Luis Gordoa/T3arc)

TheTubohotel offers 20 concrete rooms, each measuring 2.44 m wide and 3.5 m long (8 ft x 11.5 ft) and is simply furnished with a queen size bed, desk light, fan, and under-bed storage. The rooms overlook a central courtyard, which is otherwise completely surrounded by lush native trees. Unfortunately they couldn't come up with an idea to squeeze in a bathroom but guests have access to two communal bathhouses located on the hotel property.

One night's accommodation at the Tubohotel costs 500 pesos (approx. US$42).

Source: T3arc via archdaily

View gallery - 20 images
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10 comments
nayehieona
Greetings! How ironic! Just yesterday I noticed a stack of concrete tubes and was wondering what could be done with them, evidently the tubes had been there, unused for quite some time. What a novel idea! How about using the tubes as emergency shelters, like say, in the woods or even remote locations? How about a cabin in the woods? The possibilities are endless! GOD Bless!
Eletruk
Recycled from what? They look like sewer pipes.
Ewwww!
Renaissance Ronin
@ Eletruk - They\'re probably Culvert Tubes, used for creating run-off. No sewage \"reminders\".
While DasParkHotel made all of us think, I\'m still using them to create cisterns and aquaponics tanks for fish-farming. You find them at DOT auctions on a fairly regular basis. The hard part is hauling them off... ;)
Stand it on end, seal the bottom with more concrete and a healthy dose of something like Hydroseal (use the ORGANIC - Food Grade sealant if you want to drink the water or raise fish) and that 8\' diameter concrete tube will hold 2500 gallons of water, easy... and best of all, it\'ll last freakin\' forever!
AND... it\'s common knowledge that the space inside that same tube is EASILY converted to a standard bathroom, probably much like the one in your own home. You even get a cool, easily constructed \"plumbing run\" under the floor.
With a handful of them, you could build a pretty cool little house in the woods... provided you have a good graded road to your site, of course.
Stack THAT, Gizmag! :)
Jens Appelgreen
personally, i am all for recycling things to create \'green\' architecture and structures. It\'s out of the box thinking, it makes the world greener, and it reusues what would otherwise be wasted. this idea is worth its weight in gold, much like using shipping containers to create sustainable housing here http://www.widgettoad.com/?p=1694
Great ideas. It gets people thinking outside the box.
drumalis
It seems like a few of these could be the basis for a relatively easy to build hobbit home for those so inclined.
kuryus
$42 a night for a place w/out a bathroom in the room isn\'t working for me. They need to have one tube for the bed and another for a bathroom. The creative part would be how you make the connection. Since you can\'t walk thru either tube, you\'d have to have the entrance to the suite be between the 2 tubes. One option, align the tubes axially with a 4 foot minimum separation between them for the entry. The down side would be reduced view outside. Option 2 is to have the tubes side by side and have a glass box for the entrance and connection section. That would give light and view from both ends of both tubes. Option 3, set them at an angle to each other. This could be used to create courtyards between seperate units. There are several other ways of doing this but I\'ve made my point.
If you added a third tube for a living area, you could create a pretty delux feeling space.
Slowburn
I\'m not staying there.
Roland Pondevie
Those who know the area will agree with me: I just don't know how three piled tubes can "reflect the Tepozteco Aztec pyramid" and "without impacting the surrounding natural environment". But, it certainly could be an acceptable concept for the famous "Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl".
Bob Humbly
Is it cooler in them during the heat waves?
Nik
A bathroom could have easily been installed in a second tube behind the bedroom. I'd have been inclined to raise the tubes off the ground, by say one 'step' high so that in the event of a sudden thunderstorm....