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Name
Finolhu Villas |
Program
Hospitality Resort & Spa |
Size
+11,430 sq.m. |
Location
Kaafu Atoll, Maldives |
Status
Completed in 2015 |
Concept
The Maldives’ first entirely solar-powered five-star resort. The Maldives has the lowest average ground level of any nation, which makes for some of the world’s most beautiful beaches. It also makes Maldivians extremely sensitive to the effects of rising sea levels. The burden of global CO2 reduction lies primarily with a few large economies, but achieving carbon neutrality on this small island should be an inspiration for sustainable development in larger countries.
The Maldives’ first entirely solar-powered five-star resort. The Maldives has the lowest average ground level of any nation, which makes for some of the world’s most beautiful beaches. It also makes Maldivians extremely sensitive to the effects of rising sea levels. The burden of global CO2 reduction lies primarily with a few large economies, but achieving carbon neutrality on this small island should be an inspiration for sustainable development in larger countries.
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Guests can relax and enjoy the equatorial sun, and they can also see how solar energy is collected to operate the island. The island is approximately 13 acres with an interior space of 123,000 sq. ft. It’s been determined that 67,000 sq ft. of solar panels, with a storage battery generating 1 mega watt on an average sunny day, is sufficient to serve 100 guests and 100 staff occupying the resort at any time. The solar panels are visible to the guests throughout the island and are integrated into all aspects of the resort’s design as an architectural embellishment. The initial investment in the solar system (including the batteries and monitoring system) will be paid off in seven to eight years by eliminating the need to import diesel fuel. This should be a fantastic example for other countries with similar climates. About two hundred people occupying a 13-acre island is similar to the population density of Miami. In theory, if Miami could delegate just 12% of its land or rooftops to solar panels, the largest city in the “Sunshine State” could be powered entirely by the sun
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Awards
Interior Design Magazine - Sustainable Design Project 2015 Archdaily- Best Hotel Nomination 2015 Design et al - Best Beach Resort 2015 Press
Vanity Fair Forbes Interior Design Mag Architizer Archdaily Architecture lab Eluxe Mag Design et al E-Architect Inhabit |
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All resorts in the Maldives are accessed by boats or seaplanes. It is unique to this county that you first see any building in the distance from the sea or sky, which gives the visitors a stunning impression of the entirety of architecture on the island. The shape of the buildings to suit the uniqueness of the place, we use gentle curves for all roofs to derive a sense of the organisms that inhabit the tropical environment. The design of the surroundings takes inspiration from what was there before. It is impossible to recreate nature, but we tried our best. The island had beautiful beaches, littoral plantings, coconut groves, and interior forests. We kept this basic structure, and also kept the native plant palette such as Sea Lettuce, Iron Wood, Coconut Palm, Beach Hibiscus, and Screwpine. When you have a beautiful and unique site like this, you want to just preserve it. Hopefully, our new landscape will seamlessly blend with what was there before. Ultimately that’s the main thing that people come to enjoy.
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