Architecture

THE PLAN CONFIGURATION

The building is designed with inward looking plan layout thereby majority of the rooms face the atrium, thus the inward facing rooms are not directly exposed to the external elements thereby reducing heat load.

The structure of the building is designed to conform to the necessary codal provisions for earthquake resistance.

Civil Work

We have made use of two kinds of Blended Cement, which primarily uses inert material like fly ash or slag viz:

PORTLAND POZZALANA CEMENT FROM GRASIM INDUSTRIES
The cement used in constructing our Hotel is also environment friendly as we have used PPC (Portland Pozzalana Cement) which contains 15-20% fly ash, which is a waste product of power generation process from thermal power plants. PPC is no doubt environment friendly in comparison to OPC (Ordinary Portland Cement).

PORTLAND SLAG CEMENT FROM INDORAMA

This cement is made from 22% slag, a by-product of pig iron ore extraction. This is again a waste coming from steel manufacturing plants. The use of this cement eliminates shrinkage cracks and is very good for plaster and fixing of tiles internally.

HORIZONTALLY EXTRUDED HOLLOW CLAY BLOCKS
A new and unique kind of bricks used for Lotus Suites are the Horizontally Extruded Hollow Clay Blocks. The terra-cotta clay that is actually used for the manufacture of these bricks is excavated from considerable depths and does not disturb the topsoil of the earth. The excavation of terra-cotta clay do not in anyway result in deforestation nor does it disturb the balance of the eco-system in anyway. The clay that is excavated contains considerable amount of alumina and silica and is known for its plasticity.

These bricks used for internal masonry work offer excellent thermal and acoustical insulation due to the presence of cavities. Secondly as the blocks are perfectly cut, wastage in plastering is minimized, as plaster thickness would not have to vary. So also direct POP punning may be done thereby eliminating the need of internal plastering.

EXTERNAL MASONRY WORK USING BILT AAC BLOCKS (BALLARPUR INDUTRIES LTD.)
BILT Blocks are eco friendly as it manufactured using fly ash, which is a waste product from the burning of coal. These are light weight, solid concrete blocks having excellent thermal insulation properties and better sound absorption coefficient than ordinary bricks.These blocks also help reduce plaster wastage as they are factory made blocks which are cut symmetrically and to exact dimensions.

READYMADE PLASTER
This type of plaster contains a good constitution of components like sand, cement and additives thereby achieving good quality control and reduction in wastage of raw material.

WATER CONSERVATION - PLUMBING

AERATORS / FLOW RESTRICTORS

CISTERN'S AND FLUSHES

2 other ingenious water saving device are the Geberit Concealed Cistern which uses only 6 and 3 litres of water per flush as against 15-20 litres used in conventional flushes, while the Geberit Urinal Flush Valve's infra red detector ensures a definite flush after every use preventing the unwanted flushing of timer set systems.

DRINKING WATER TREATMENT (AQUAZONE)

Aquazone employs ozone which destroys all micro organisms including bacteria, virus, spores, mould, fungi etc. the resultant water is absolutely safe, pure, fresh and healthy. The water is free from chlorine. When drinking water is treated with chlorine (chlorine is a highly carcinogenic chemical), the residual chlorine in water is also consumed along with the water. On the other hand ozone, having half the life of only about 20 mnts, unreacted ozone reduces to oxygen, leaving no trace of toxicity in water. This makes it the most environment friendly treatment known today.

Aquazone water can be used for drinking, cooking, and washing fruits, vegetables, meats, poultry and seafood to destroy surface bacteria for healthier preservation, Ozonized water can also be used for disinfecting anything. Ozonized water is colourless and odourless. Chlorine and its derivatives are carcinogenic and are potential health hazards, adding to the pollution. Ozone is the ultimate in disinfection. It destroys almost all the micro-organisms and while doing so it reduces to oxygen. This makes it the most ideal and environment friendly system ever conceived.

Aquazone diffuses a controlled dosage of ozone into the drinking water as and when required. Ozone reacts with impurities like micro-organisms and chemicals neutralizing them. The result is clean fresh and healthy water to drink

INTERIORS

RUBBER WOOD
After producing rubber sap, the tree is cut down; the same cannot be used for any constructive purpose, as the wood acquired from the rubber tree is soft
The rubber wood then derived is processed and upgraded wood, which has been vacuum, impregnated using unleachable type of timber preservative chemicals and kiln seasoned to ensure dimensional stability. This has been used for mouldings, door frames, skirting, cornices and master control panel.

ECO BOARD
This kind of wood is made form exterior grade article board, made out of the by-product of bagasse. Eco board has been used in the main panelling work of the hotel.

E- BOARD
This is a wood free board consisting of cement silica board, which offers excellent protection against dampness, water moisture penetration etc. This is extensively used in the hotel for mirror backing, shafts, vestibule, false ceiling, bed base and furniture back rest where otherwise wood block boards would have been used.

RECOMPOSSED VENEER
This is an excellent recyclable material made from waste wood. Its light colour shade matches aesthetically with the Rubber wood used in the Hotel. All furniture in the guest room areas is made of this product.

TRIPLE GLAZED WINDOWS
The triple glazed window comprises of a hermetically sealed double glazed unit and an added reflective glass. The main glass has been directly imported from Belgium. This tripled glazed window blocks the heat of the sun from entering the room and helps in conserving the air-conditioning energy. An added advantage of this unit is that prevents fabric and furniture colors from fading as the triple glazed unit prevents the infra red light from the sun to enter the room. These windows also help in effectively cutting out the noise pollution.

We have also used finger jointed Rubber wood from Andaman timber for mouldings, staircase handrails etc.

ECO-FRIENDLY MIRROR - Dantalux Mix Mirror
These mirrors which have been directly imported from Indonesia use no copper base treatment for the backing of the mirrors and also has better reflective properties.

CARPETS
The carpets in the Hotel have been specially designed and manufactured in Malaysia using recycled Polypropylene.

ELECTRICAL

PL LAMPS/FLUORESCENT TUBES

Efficient PL lamps are used which provide as much light as ordinary bulbs, yet consume substantially less energy.

To cite an example: using a 10W PL lamp will give an equal amount of brightness as a 60W incandescent bulb whereas the former (PL lamp) will have a power consumption of 25% the latter will have a power consumption of 100% !

What's more since your room lights come in only when your key card is inserted there's no chance that lights or the air conditioner remains on once you leave the room.

VARIABLE FREQUENCY DRIVE
Distribution pumps are controlled to distribute chilled water as per load through variable frequency drives (VFD) this avoids any excess power consumption. Suitable adjustments of set points of chillers based on external temperature. Setting at higher or lower points will depend on temperature.

MECHANICAL

AIR-CONDITIONING

At Lotus Suites ozone depletion levels have been reduced to 99.55% as we have used the more eco-friendly alternative i.e. R22 instead of CFC refrigerants. The mono screw chillers which have the least number of moving parts operates on a stepless efficiency range of 10% to 100%.

Attached to the air-conditioning system is the STL tank to store cold energy during off-peak hours. This stored energy is then used during the peak hours periods reducing compressor overloading and cutting power consumption.

The heat generated from the air conditioners provides hot water to the guestrooms, laundry, toilets and kitchen.

HEAT RECOVERY WHEEL
The Atrium of the Hotel has been artistically designed to house large public gathering requiring 100% fresh air for suitable interior environment. To take care of this we have planned a Heat Recovery Wheel, which will take care of the fresh air intake and recovery of heat will be done using this wheel. The recovery wheel uses substantially less energy in order to cool down the inside temperature, thus being energy efficient.

ELECTRONIC

MASTER CONTROL PANEL

This control panel in the guestrooms incorporates a unique feature known as the green button. On pressing the green button the thermostat of the air-conditioning unit is stepped up by two degrees. The saving in electricity resulting from the 2 degrees increase in temperature is brought down to the EDP department, which then issues a certificate of appreciation.

ELEVATORS

The elevators in the Hotel will use state of the art technology by Otis. These elevators use V3F technology with microprocessor based intelligent logic circuit. This enables efficient traffic planning thus avoiding unnecessary wastage of energy.

OPERATIONAL PRACTICES

HANGERS
The hangers used in guestroom are made from sawdust.

AMENITIES
The amenities used at Lotus Suites are Herbal based, not tested on animals and not containing animal fat.

LAUNDRY
Guest laundry is placed in a cloth laundry bag for washing, it is delivered back to our guests in cane baskets. This has helped us in reducing the plastic bags which are normally used for placing or delivering guest laundry.

SLIPPERS
To further show you how down to earth our eco sensitivity is, even the stylish slippers in the guestroom are made from jute. These slippers are washable and reusable.

PENS / PENCIL
To prove our commitment to the environment Lotus Suites uses eco-friendly pens and pencils. The eco-pens are made using recycled cardboard, reprocessed plastic and scrap wood. The cardboard, which is used as barrel, is free from chlorine usage in the manufacturing stage. The plastic as the head and base is made from reprocessed ABS (a thermoplastic material that can be recycled and/or remoulded). Scrap wood is obtained from discarded cases used for packing purposes.

The eco pencils are not made of wood but of a non-toxic polymer with the use of natural fillers. Wood saver pencils are made using a shaft, which is made of biodegradable materials such as talc, gypsum and clay.

STATIONERY
With forests dwindling and the air we breathe under threat, every contribution helps. Which is why you'll find all paper products at the Lotus Suites will contain at least 25% recycled content.

RECYCLING BINS
Separate recycling bin with a sticker for guest use is placed in all rooms.

Save our Planet Program
In order to encourage our guests in helping to conserve water, we have implemented the Save our Planet (SOP) program. Through this program, we encourage our guests to conserve water by request a change of linen only on alternate days.

RECYCLED GARBAGE BAGS
The garbage bags used by us are made from recycled plastic and milk pouches.

CUT FLOWER VS POTTED PLANTS
Why use dead flowers to bring a room alive? At Lotus Suites, you'll find cut flowers cut to an absolute minimum - instead living vibrant plants help bring the beauty of nature indoors.

CARBON PAPER
There is no use of carbon paper made at Lotus Suties, as the chemicals used in carbon paper are toxic which kill the micro-organisms that break down solid waste, reducing the volume of waste in the landfill.

DND, MAKE UP ROOM & LAUNDRY SIGN
Having the DND, MAKE UP ROOM and LAUNDRY sign outside the door in turn reduces the waste that would have been otherwise generated by having these signs made from paper.

BOXES FOR TISSUES, COTTON & SOAP SUDS
Tissue boxes, jars for cotton balls and soapsuds are made from NUWUD, as it goes with our theme, instead of having had to use acrylic. These will be provided to guest on request.

WATER GLASSES
The glasses will be turned upside down and kept in the tray, thereby doing away with having to wrap each glass in a plastic bag and consequently generating more waste for the hotel.

ANTI COCKROACH HERBAL TREATMENT
This treatment has been recently introduced and is the first of it's kind in India to eradicate cockroaches. This herbal paste contains extracts from herbs and the treatment is totally different than the conventional spray treatment. By using this treatment their are no health hazards, as there is no use of any poisonous chemicals. No cleaning is required after the treatment is done hence there is no wastage of water, detergents etc.

This medicine is in the form of a paste and it is applied to all nooks and corners in the form of small globules in the premises, which is to be treated. This paste can also be applied in refrigerators, ovens, toasters, microwaves mixers, computers as it is non-poisonous.

CLOTH MATS
To reduce the waste generated by our hotel we use cloth mats instead of paper ones.

NO SINGLE SERVING ITEMS USED.
To add to the above, use of single serving items are done away with at Lotus Suites. Use of condiments like sugar sachets is replaced by using sugar cubes, jams, sauces, ketchup are served in preserved pots and butter chiplets have been replaced by butter curls. Except in rooms wherein they will be given with the Tea / Coffee maker.

What is ALM ?

Advance Locality Management
Advance Locality Management (ALM) as the name suggests is a concept to manage the locality and its sorroundings. Undertaking projects to beautify the city is doing the same. As a first step towards it, the garbage and filth of the area is segregated and removed with the active participation of local authorities and citizens. Subsequently various projects such as building a vermiculture plant, tree plantation drive and other beautification projects are undertaken. Apart from reducing the pressure on BMC to pick the garbage, it also adds up as a means of earning for the said ALM.
The concept of Advance Locality Management (ALM) is existing in the city for quite sometime. Infact, it was in the year 1997 that it was first implemented at Joshi Lane, Ghatkopar. The idea behind ALM is to promote a partnership between the citizens and the municipal corporation. As on today there are over 500 ALMs in the city.