Hotel rooms around the world look like each other. The basic layout of a hotel room has evolved into an optimum that is difficult to reinvent. However the opportunity presents itself to create atmospheres within this framework that consider functionality and efficiency but then radically reinterpret them into new forms of a hotel experience.The hotel rooms are organised into zones of activity such as sleeping, bathing, reading, working, communicating etc, and these zones are then interpreted as islands. They are then ‘LAVAfied’ into curvilinear, elegant, inbuilt structures of multifunctional nature. The careful selection of materials and surfaces, and the effects of light produce a unique and enlightening atmosphere, in tune with the overall theme of volcano and ocean.Each room features a unique art selection and wall frescoes by artists of the geographic location the room points towards, such as Korea, Japan and China. At the same time the rooms capture the spirit of the place and the breathtaking 360 degrees of views to the ocean and surrounding volcanic mountains, now UNESCO world heritage listed.
The three "crater" atria distinguish the three hotel components - business, family and entertainment - and give each of them a dramatic and unique vertical space. These spaces act as centres of activity surrounded by restaurants, business centres, shops and are further wrapped into the outer layers of rooms.
The residential canyons extend the idea of a year-round immersive destination into a series of semi outdoor spaces that combine leisure, shopping and relaxation in a unique space.
The hotel and residential development is designed as a landform. ‘Valleys and canyons’, generated as a topological structure, form 2000 rooms around a terracing façade and atrium. The atrium spaces connect to form a continuous green landscape throughout the hotel and link to a beachfront forest.
The seven terraced buildings house apartments and hotel rooms in an s-shaped arrangement naturally cascading up from the shoreline. Hanging gardens and undulating rooftop parks extend nature into the volcano shaped buildings. Voids allow natural light into lower levels and increase ventilation. Sinuous swimming pools arc around the buildings, timber decks and boardwalks, artificial islands, pools, beach dunes and a verdant local forest create a place of relaxation.
The curved building shape allows for varied designs and flexible room sizes creating different typologies. The interior design philosophy is based on voronoi patterns, strata layers and soft shapes. Features include generous roof terraces and full height glazing, external sun shading by roof overhang, solar powered intelligent louvres. Furniture is curvaceous with soft forms flowing into each other creating a nurturing space.
