Resort
ISLAND GOLF RESORT
Architecture of natural materials and an exclusive hilltop setting allow visitors of this golf resort to forget their busy life and focus on health of mind body and spirit.
This ambitious project began with a client asking our team to create an exclusive golf resort on a rugged island within a large freshwater lake. The site was both stunning and challenging. The exclusive resort is accessed by boat and a gondola climbs from the arrival marina to the hilltop resort and villa development.
We worked closely with our planning partners at GCH to design a vision for the project where the architecture compliments the landscape and create the amenities serving this high-end resort. By letting the landform guide the planning and architecture the site becomes the star.
Unlike many of our other projects where the architecture is designed to be the focus and has a formal expression, this project needed a different approach. The site was too valuable and had too much potential to be the unique selling feature of the development. Each area of the planning was carefully considered to maximize this value. The clubhouse and hotel each have their own canyon and water views and the guest bungalows perch on the cliff edge for privacy and spectacular sight-lines to the water and mountains beyond.
For the character, we imagined a unique style that blended the natural beauty of Pacific Northwest Architecture with the materials and details of the local villages nearby. A style that is both contemporary, warm, and connected to the local culture. The wood, and stone would draw from the colors and textures on site, while expansive walls of glass connect to the natural setting.
Location
China
Program
Resort, Golf Clubhouse, Villas
Year
2012
Status
Unbuilt