Located in the heart of Bali’s fashionable Seminyak District between Ku De Ta and Potatohead Beach Clubs, Alila Seminyak is the fifth property in Bali for Alila Hotels and Resorts which is renowned for its bold Architecture.
The 240 room hotel is set in a vibrant and urban district of Bali with very high land pressure, so Gaurang and his team decided to create a ‘Secret Paradise’ – a garden like setting where a series of landscaped terraces, cascading pools, vertical, micro, indoor and roof gardens interconnect the hotel and offer unimpeded views of Seminyak Beach and the Indian Ocean.
The master planning of the hotel is influenced by the traditional Balinese residential compounds which are a cluster of buildings centered round a courtyard or family temple. The hotel is a cluster of buildings interconnected by naturally ventilated corridors and centered round an existing temple.
This strategy of planning helps break down the mass of the hotel and also offers the guest views of the landscape or the ocean at every junction where the buildings connect. In addition, the master planning was done to maximize the views – 80% of the rooms and all public spaces have stunning ocean views.
The hotel has been designed to the most stringent standards of sustainability as part of the ethos practiced by both URBNarc and Alila. During the construction of the hotel, URBNarc worked closely with the landscape architect and the construction team to clean up the adjacent drainage canal and worked with all the neighbours to create a sustainable solution for keeping the drainage canals clean.
Vettiver grass and other plant species that help naturally clean the water of effluent material were planted strategically. Roads and pathways have been designed with little to no concrete to allow for maximum ground water recharge.
Local plant species that in turn attract the local micro fauna of birds and butterflies have been planted strategically through the property in line with the concept of creating a secret garden.
In addition, the building uses 100% local materials, recycled or reclaimed building materials, naturally ventilated spaces, roof gardens, air wells and a full suite of energy saving mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems.
A key feature of the hotel is a bespoke vertical timber screen that serves multiple purposes of privacy, solar screening, and as a back drop for creating vertical gardens that are an integral part of the building articulation.
The pattern of the screen is also applied as a recurring motif in the sky lights, corridors, rooms, floors, signage, finishes, furniture, lamps, art and stationery creating a common thread stitching this hotel. Source by URBNarc.
Location: Bali, Indonesia
Architects: URBNarc
Architect In Charge: Gaurang Khemka
Client: Pt Anaamaya Resort
Year: 2015
Photographs: Courtesy of URBNarc
