Incredible Morpheus in Macau: a futuristic hotel with an exoskeleton has been opened in the gaming capital

An incredible futuristic Morpheus Hotel has opened in Macau, China. Do you know why the holes? So that the necessary energies fly through feng shui — metaphysical dragons.

An intriguing masterpiece, the 40-storey Morpheus Hotel by Zaha Hadid, opened in Macau on June 15. Architects from the Zaha Hadid Architects studio claim that this is the world's first skyscraper with a "free" form exoskeleton, which can also withstand natural disasters — earthquakes, typhoons and floods.

This is the fifth tower of the gambling and hotel complex City of Dreams in Macau. Once this Chinese city was a Portuguese colony, and now it has become the most famous gambling zone in Asia.

When working on the overall shape of the building with an area of 150 thousand square meters, the authors of the project were inspired by the traditional Chinese art of jade carving. The hotel consists of two glass towers connected by three "bridges", inside which there are public areas for hotel guests.

The Morpheus Hotel has 780 rooms, a casino, a shopping center, conference rooms, a panoramic restaurant, VIP gambling rooms, shops, a spa center and an outdoor rooftop pool.

Outside, the building, which has a free form, is supported by a steel exoskeleton. It has 1200 knots weighing up to 18 tons each. Thanks to the exoskeleton, a natural blackout is created in the room, which protects the interior spaces from overheating. The futuristic building is controlled by a special intelligent system that regulates energy consumption depending on changes in environmental conditions.

Holes in high-rise buildings, which can often be seen in Asian megacities, for example in Hong Kong, are made according to the principles of the Feng shui doctrine. If the structure stands between the mountains and the sea, the holes in it are necessary for the proper circulation of energy: according to legend, a dragon lives in the mountains, which flies to the sea and back.

Multi-storey buildings without a hole would interfere with the dragon on its way. The snake could get angry, and then misfortune would be waiting for those living in the house. But thanks to the huge holes in the buildings, energy passes freely, which brings residents good luck and prosperity.