hospitalitystyle.com

(Fall 2010) posted on Mon Sep 20, 2010 EDT

Habitats for Humanity: SDCA engages the environment and the people who live within it to create socially sustainable design for two new Alila resorts.

By Mary Scoviak

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It took a village—two, actually—to create Alila Hotels and Resorts' new five-star retreats. Local leaders, boat builders, artists and artisans were as much part of SCDA Architects' design charettes for the Alila Villas Soori (Bali) and the Alila Villas Hadahaa (North Huvadhoo Atoll, Republic of Maldives) as environmental-impact experts and the firm's Singapore-based staff. The reason, says Chan Soo Khian, SCDA's founder and principal architect, is that the physical environment is no longer the alpha and omega of sustainable design.

"These properties were designed not only to respond to the climatic nuances and energy initiatives typical of most green developments, but also to integrate local culture," says Chan. "Usually, sustainability practices only consider energy. We also wanted to make these projects sustainable at a social level. The goal was to avoid disturbing either the natural habitat or the locals' way of life as it was before development began."

 

SCDA conducts the same rigorous research on projects' social impact as it does on their environmental impact. For the Alila Villas Soori, the team found that villagers living near the proposed resort site had a lot to say, and not all of it was positive. Online reports and travel/lifestyle blogs contend that less-sensitive predecessors had left both cynicism and wariness in their wake. There were questions about land use and how Chan planned to address the fact that the site was a common route from the village to the local temple.

 "We asked the village chiefs for advice before we developed the overall layout," says Chan. He and his project team not only worked around the transit issue, but minimized site erosion by terracing part of the grounds with rice paddies, reducing disruption of natural water flow and instituting soil maintenance programs.

Design decisions drove home the message that this resort wouldn't be just an offshore brand overlaid on a Balinese site. Instead, SCDA took the palette and motifs from decorations used in the temple. The designers not only used local materials such as Paras Kelating sandstone, Paras Kerobokan sandstone, igneous Batu Chandi and Batu Kali river stones, but hired local craftsmen skilled in their use—including the expert artisans who carved the decorative terra cotta tiles used throughout the design. "With the exception of appliances and technological products, we deliberately obtained what we needed from local sources," says Chan.