Architects:
Foster + Partners
Location: La Gaulette,
Mauritius
Project Team: Foster + Partners, Jean Michel d’Unienville & Associates Architects
Interior Décor: Foster + Partners, Jean Michel d’Unienville & Associates Architects
Project Year: 2006
Photographer: Foster + Partners
Website: www.fosterandpartners.com
Structural Engineer: Arup Sigma
Quantity Surveyor: Gleeds, Hoolooman Project Services
M+E Engineer: Arup Sigma
Additional Consultants: Hodges Ward Elliot, Pam Golding International, Pam Golding International, PHA, Manly Development Services Ltd, BLC Chambers, Watson, Farley & Williams, Hawtree Gold Ltd, Imagine, C&M Consultants
From the Architects
The masterplan is for a discreet and environmentally intelligent architecture that blends harmoniously with the lush and extensive landscape.
Green fingers of lush vegetation extend down towards the sea, with a series of contemporary buildings inserted amid tropical plantings to create an architecture that at once responds to the contours of the landscape and recedes into the green totality. Forming a sculptural family, dramatic undulating timber-shingle roofs unify the built elements and reinvent island architecture.
Combined, these elements provide an idyllic haven in a luxuriant tropical garden, a pervading sense of tranquillity and luxurious relaxation.
Sustainable design principles are at the heart of the architectural approach, ensuring that the masterplan is not only energy efficient, but also helps regenerate the landscape. Built from natural, sustainable materials, the rich organic palette creates a seamless relationship between the buildings and the landscape.
Volcanic rock collected from the very site will be used, anchoring the resort to its surroundings, and other natural materials such as timber shingles, vegetation and water are dominant features in the masterplan. The striking wave-like, curving roofs are designed for optimum natural ventilation, and to collect rainwater for treatment and reuse.
Solar power will be harnessed and electric vehicles will be available for transport around the site. Offering privacy and exclusivity, the scheme creates a new model of luxury resort living.
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