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/ ISSUE 111. 2019 • S$8 /

DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE

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UCCA DUNE ART MUSEUMOPEN ARCHITECTURE

FUNANWOODS BAGOT

PLANTERS’ HAVEN BUNGALOWMJKANNY ARCHITECT

COR JESU ORATORYZUBU DESIGN ASSOCIATES & KENNETH COBONPUE

AFFORDABLE HOUSINGHOW ARCHITECTURE SHOULD HELP

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/ WORDS MICHELE KOH MOROLLO

Stylish yurt guest rooms and an eco-friendly design makes this new barefoot luxury resort a model hospitality project.

OFF THE BEATEN TRACK

Just off the south coast of Myanmar, in the Mergui Archipelago, are virgin islands that are home to the seafaring Moken people, exotic birds

and marine life, and beautiful coral reefs. One of these islands is Pila, where

Myanmarese integrated tourism company Memories Group commissioned American architect Daniel West of SPA Design & Project Services to create an eco- friendly, 4,700m2, 24-guestroom resort named Awei Pila.

/ 1An aerial view of the pool at Awei Pila, a resort set in an island in Myanmar’s Mergui Archipelago. 

/ OPPOSITEPrefabricated yurts by American manufacturers Rainier were used for the 24 guestrooms.

The resort is comprised of a variety of structures. Prefabricated yurts from Rainier, USA, made with high-quality fabrics and kiln-dried timber were used for the 24 guestrooms.

Each yurt tent is attached to a Pyinkido (locally sourced iron wood) timber outdoor deck, supported by salt resistant, steel structures.

“The design of the yurt guestrooms was inspired by the theme of the ‘enthusiastic explorer’. Given the location of the site

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/ PHOTOGRAPHY MEMORIES GROUP AND FLORIAN DAHM

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85km offshore in the Mergui Archipelago, we wanted our adventure-oriented guests to feel as though they were the first to have landed on the island,” says West.

“To achieve this mood, we designed the rooms around the prefabricated yurt structures, which have the atmosphere of a temporal, impromptu accommodation. However, upon entering the room, one is impressed by the high quality of the structure, and the luxurious provisions.”

The circular floor of the yurt is made of lightly-stained Douglas fir. Surrounding

this is a timber, latticed wall structure that draws sunlight into the interiors through the diamond-shaped openings.

“This lattice structure rises through timber rafters to a ring, accented by a dark timber carving where a ceiling fan is attached,” West explains.

Behind this lattice wall is a light-coloured duck fabric, which gives the interiors a bright and modern feel, providing contrast to the deep red of the Myanmar Pyinkido timber deck outside.

Inside each yurt, the ceiling and doors

SITE PLAN

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are clad in handwoven bamboo, which brings the warmth of local craftsmanship into each room.

The luxurious bathrooms, which have sand-washed concrete floors, polished plaster walls, and bamboo-lined ceilings, are contained within masonry extensions to the yurts that sit on precast concrete foundations.

The sand-washed concrete floors of the toilet area extend to an outdoor shower, surrounded by a screen wall of dark timber sticks for privacy.

The yurt guest rooms are organised in two rows extending outwards from the reception building. The first row of yurts runs parallel to the beach. The yurts in the second row were positioned between the spaces behind the yurts in the first row, so guests can still enjoy sea views. Ample landscaped gardens surround all the yurts for privacy.

Located near a floating pontoon along the beach, are the public areas, which include the reception, restaurant and pool. The reception area is housed within a dark-stained timber structure set over a light-coloured, concrete sand-washed floor that extends to the pool deck.

The sand-washed floor of the reception

and restaurant brings the aesthetics of the white sand beach into the public spaces.

The pool is finished in a monolithic Beadcrete surface, which refracts light through the water beautifully. In the restaurant, a suspended ceiling of timber sticks float above the dining area.

“In contrast to the light, sand-washed

/ 2-3Aerial views of the public areas and yurt guestroom.

STANDARD UNIT FLOOR PLAN

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flooring, walls clad in dark slate stone divide the pool area from the restaurant, and act as a feature wall behind the bar.

“The Daeng Nam timber structure of the building is exposed and lit, highlighting the columns that mirror the verticality of the adjacent trees. A light green wall acts as a backdrop to blend in with the greenery of the landscape,” says West.

A spa building is located at the end of the development where it enjoys access to a small private, adjacent beach.

The back-of-house area contains

the administrative offices, a full kitchen, laundry, storage facilities, workshop, and utilities, as well as living quarters for the resort’s 80 staff.

The structures that make up the back-of-house were delivered as prefabricated containers to minimise construction time and serve as temporary accommodation for the builders.

“This became very handy during the monsoon period, as construction was required year-round to deliver the project on time,” says West.

AWEI PILA

MERGUI ARCHIPELAGO, MYANMAR201812.9HA4,700M2

SPA DESIGN & PROJECT SERVICESDANIEL WESTCITIZEN IDSPADPS*, RAINIER (YURT SUPPLIER), ATHENA SIAM LIMITED, KKA GROUP, MYANMAR MODULAR KONSTRUCTION, HEXAGON INSTRUMENTATION ENGINEERINGSPA DESIGN & PROJECT SERVICESSPA DESIGN & PROJECT SERVICESSPA DESIGN & PROJECT SERVICES

LOCATION COMPLETION

SITE AREA GROSS FLOOR AREA

ARCHITECT LEAD DESIGNER

FFE DESIGNERCONTRACTOR

C&S CONSULTANTS QUANTITY SURVEYOR

LANDSCAPE

/ 4The luxurious bathrooms have sand-washed concrete floors, polished plaster walls, and bamboo-lined ceilings.

/ 5A timber, latticed wall structure draws sunlight into the interiors of the guestroom through the diamond-shaped openings.

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/ 7Locally sourced

Pyinkido timber, and “Myaw” posts

and sticks from Kawthaung in

Myanmar were used in the construction

of the reception and dining areas.

/ 6The fan-shaped pool faces a concrete sand-washed flooring, complementing the colour of the beach in front of it.

Construction materials include locally sourced Pyinkido timber, and “Myaw” posts and sticks from Kawthaung in Myanmar. Because the resort sits near the Thai border, West and his team sourced the concrete, lighting and sanitaryware from Thai manufacturers.

According to Ho Jiaying, Director of Sales & Marketing for the Memories Group, the greatest challenge with Awei Pila was making sure that the resort’s environmental footprint was minimal, and that the stakeholders worked “with and

around nature, rather than arrogantly clearing areas”.

“We’ve been fortunate to have a talented team who believe in a non-negotiable approach,” says Ho.

“Where we haven’t been able to build within the confines of the natural habitat, in the back-of-house areas for example, we’ve managed a painstaking replanting programme that’s been very successful. We’ve even installed solar panels on all available rooftops at the back-of-house to reduce or even eradicate consumption.”

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