Mar 28 2009
Design inspiration for luxurious Skara Brae eco resort
The latest way we’ve been describing what we’re developing with Touchwood is a ’21st century, luxury Skara Brae’. For those who don’t know what Skara Brae is, it’s a Stone Age village that is a World Heritage site. The houses were at least partially underground, with connecting tunnels.
This is a photo of one of several of the houses. You can see the (thought to be) box bed on the left, and stone dresser on the right, with the fire in the centre:
We want to take several of the elements you find here and apply them to a new, upmarket eco resort. As part of the business plan, we’re looking at similar enterprises and I’ve found a few I thought I’d share to give you a better idea with where we’re going.
First, the Ice Hotel, a hotel in Sweden literally made of ice. It references the Ice Age, but does so in a design-conscious way. I love the furs.
A suite in the Ice Hotel
Another example is Shompole Lodge, an eco-resort in Kenya. Here they’ve used local materials and a strong bush feel to a very high standard:
Shompole Eco Lodge
And one more: Playa Nicuesa in Costa Rica. The jungle feel of this cottage is perfect, and I’d like to have the landscape around our cottages similarly integrated into the design:
Playa Nicuesa
Sadly, neither Malcolm nor I are artists, so I’m now looking for someone who can sketch our ideas and convey the feel that we’re going for with our developing eco-resort. We’ll be working with an architect eventually, and we’ve made some simple sketches ourselves, but we need to find someone with the skills to turn it into a full-blown artist impression before we approach an architect or funders. To give you a very rough idea:
Skara Brae layout reinterpreted for a modern cottage
The box bed on the left is a long-standing tradition in Scotland. The wood stove in the centre radiates warmth and cosiness, just as the fire hearth did 5,000 years ago. The circular windows in front and back are a hobbit hole reference, giving it some whimsy and playfulness.
Some of the cottages would have a loft with a ladder opening up on the roof for stargazing.
The overall layout of the cottages would look something like this:
Layout of several cottages, connected by partially underground passage
We’re still sketching the details, but if you or anyone you know has drawing talent and would like to get involved with our project, please do get in touch at rachel [at] touchwood [dot] com. We need your help!
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Wow, this looks fantastic, best of luck with this project.
I think you should first take a good look at Skara Brae region and soak up its interesting bits. Find out how locals eat, play, traditions … etc. Thereon, identify interesting bits/nuances and incorporate them into architect design. Example, if there’s a tradition dish that’s cooked in open fire, then an open bonfire kitchen be built to show guests how food was made hundreds of years ago.
Don’t look for examples in Africa or Latin America. Architects will always look for easy way out and tell you how beautiful their design (hardware) will look. That’s called “disney-fying”. You should also place importance on the “character of place” (software). Find everything you need in Skara Brae … building materials, carpenters, cooks, utensils, vernacular home design, way of life … etc.
I am working on an eco-resort project in Borneo and we spent 2 months combing the region for ethnic food, traditional longhouses, historical sites, crafts, anything to help us inspire the resort design. We even spent nights in the jungle looking for interesting native plants for the resort’s landscaping.
A holiday destination must have “flavour”. At the same time, it’s an opportunity for the environmentalist to showcase how going green can help bring economical spread to rural community.
And oh, by the way, mainstream architects will tell you to build massive facilities and palatial resorts. Obviously, they get paid more for designing bigger resort. But remember, eco-friendly means: Less is best.
Happy planning and good luck!
Thanks for that, Casey. Yes, we are definitely looking very strongly to Skara Brae and other neolithic sites on Orkney for the main design influence. These examples are more to show what culturally inspired eco lodges around the world are like, and how you can reference the past while keeping it modern. But we’ll definite heed your advice!
Hello, my name is adolfo Romano, I’m from Guinea-Bissau. I’m graduate in tourism in Portugal. I’m planning in an eco-resort bungalows in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa with specif features: building based on local material; 90% of renewalble resurce and energy;
So I’m interesting to know more information about your project(work) as a designers and how you can help me to start my project.
Thank you very much and hope to heard from you soon.
Sincerely
Adolfo Romano
P.S. I’m sorry, my english is not good, but I hope you understand what I mean.
I love these pictures, they are so interesting and enticing. It has given me a lot of ideas as far as eco interior design is concerned – my brain is ticking away. Thanks again!
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