Hill Resort & Spa Ongoing

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This project was the winning entry in a design competition that drew entries from architects in Singapore, South Africa, Indonesia, USA and India. The dramatic character of this unusual site presents three major aspects: " A view down the exceedingly steep slope creates a sense of hovering above and away from the daily routines of earthly life; any presence of human habitation feels removed, lying in the distant valley below. " A view up the slope creates a sense of the earth sweeping dramatically upwards toward a rugged cliff whose presence dominates the site. " Standing on such a topography one is acutely aware of the sky. Building on this, the design eschews the clichéd resort approach of packaged ethnicity and seeks a contemporary expression that provides renewal through a primordial reconnection with earth and sky. Buildings are carefully located to preserve the site's natural topography, vegetation and water runoff pattern. The architecture is visualised as a set of floor and roof planes that hover over the site heightening the sense of dislodgment from the earth while preserving and sustaining the awareness of the site's topography.