Winter is approaching, what better time than to imagine a resort.
Concept: Merging a centralized building type with a decentralized building type, our project will romantically merge itself with the landscape to create a idealistic setting for a relaxed and up-lifting experience.
The architecture itself will consist of massive white walls with soft corners and arched openings, allowing one to easily traverse between indoors and outdoors. Exposed wood beams and terracotta tiled floor will give the Architecture a slightly rustic and historical feel to enhance the Ancient theme of the island. The roof will also carry this theme to reinforce the solid and centralized nature of every unit enclave. The central pool will be connected to smaller individual pools for private sanctuaries of guests. Together the complex will offer a variety of idealistic experiences that is essential in a 5 star resort catering to health preservation, weddings and honeymoons.
Banquet facilities and wedding settings will be on the easterly side to catch the glow of the morning sun. Flanking these primary requirements will be health and spa regeneration facilities to help the create a great start to everyone’s day.The honeymoon suites and private romantic settings will be located on the westerly side to catch the setting sun, along with romantic dining settings. Vistas will carry through to the open water to catch the sun’s reflections and natural layout of the island and it’s foliage.
The entrance to the main building will be on a side closest to the Port. This is to allow the banquet and dining facilities to stay in the center of the building with views both east and west, and to act as a backdrop to weddings and other social events. Next to the entrance lobby will be other required programmatic requirements like office, maid, kitchen, storage, valet services, concierge services, and will be the exit point for guest to other parts of the island. Keeping these components here will allow the guest sleeping quarters located to the opposite side of the main banquet hall to remain quiet and peaceful. Unlike many resorts that are organized along a single central axis, this resort will have a double axis, one orientated on the main banquet hall and pool while the other, intersecting the axis perpendicular to that of the pool, will be for guest sleeping enclaves. These architectural gestures alone will set this project apart from all the rest to make this truly a special place to be.
While there will be a centralized outdoor and indoor area for social gatherings and wealth creation, emphasis will be placed on creating romantic and intimate paths that flank the core of the project and which follow the contours of the terrain. These paths will connect several smaller units and many outdoor alcoves that couples can enjoy their own company, the view and fresh air. These paths will be of a rustic quality, flanked by curving rock faced retaining walls, heavy planting, over-looks and the sound of running water. The goal is to create an experience that will have people returning year after year to explore more and to remember how idyllic and relaxing the experience was.
Sleeping Enclaves:
There will be essentially two types of units offered to guests. The first type are individual units set in the landscape. The placement of these individual units start to merge as they approach the central building. The goal is to offer your 5 star guests a variety of options to suit their needs and desires, while at the same time merging the architecture with the landscape.
The Port:
Upon one’s arrival to the island by boat, the guests will be greeted to what will look like a very small village consisting of a dock, a few small buildings, some used for commercial purposes while others used for housing and/or storage, perhaps a clock tower. It will be one of the potential destinations for guests of the island during their stay and will enhance the overall experience. The port will be located either on the Northerly or Southerly sides to not interfere with views from the resort. The port will also offer many recreational activities to take advantage of the water including scuba diving, para-sailing, boat excursions, and whatever we find that the island can support. Also available in the port will be bicycles and picnic offerings to allow guests to ‘rough it’ on their own, helping to enhance their own personal memories of their experience on the island. A little cafe overlooking the dock will allow business people to enjoy a special business meeting that is quick and convenient to the city, yet has a charm that will impress their guests.
Efficiency of Service:
Behind the scenes and away from the visitors view will be service corridors that will connect to a centralized management office, maid, and kitchen facilities. Service will be a key component in a five star resort and it’s planning and layout should reflect the desire of management to provide the best quality, greatest efficiency and out of sight of guests. The right architectural solutions will help damper noise to allow guests to fully enjoy their experience.
The careful placement of components will expand the sense of space for the guest while shortening the distance for services. For instance, a centralized kitchen can serve a Port Cafe if the two are located near one another, while the guests themselves take a meandering path that gives them the sense of a greater distance between the two.
Expansion:
While this is a small island, care will be given to balance broad vistas with intimate experiences, and, an ability to expand in a sensitive way to the goals of the original concept. Service components will accommodate future expansion as will the general layout of the project. We are confident that future expansion will be a real consideration for this development.
Preservation of Island:
The care and natural enhancement of the island itself, which is the biggest asset of this project, will be of primary importance. It is the connection the guest will have with the island and nature, and how we integrate our solutions, that will ensure their return through an enhanced experience.
Green Technology and Natural Materials:
While providing the best amenities to the guests of the island, our architecture will incorporate the best thinking in Green Technology to create a low impact solution on the island. Use of natural materials for finishes, will yield two positives, low impact on the environment and an enhanced rustic ancient feel to the architecture. These choices will enhance the health and well being of the guests and those who provide the services.
Conclusion:
Together, the natural quality of the architecture set against the natural feeling of the island will evoke a romantic, quiet and dreamy feeling. A real sanctuary away from hustle and bustle of the city that will have couples returning year after year and business people week after week.