Kaliksi Island Resort
A piece of paradise on a private Philippines island.
Sector: Hotels / Resorts
Country: Philippines
Client: Private
Services: Architecture Master Planning
Year: 2013
Designing a private island resort on an uninhabited island is a rare opportunity, and an architect’s dream. The site is in a paradisiacal setting on a coral island off the coast of Palawan in the Philippines. While the client dreamt of having an island to partner his luxury yacht, it was not about making a big statement.
Mindful of the impact on the local environment, MAP’s design is visually and physically low impact consisting of 24 five star villas accommodating a maximum of 80 guests. Kaliksi is a modern design which incorporates local architectural elements. MAP chose to collaborate with Rudi Greiner, who has a formidable reputation in the hotel industry. A true visionary, Rudi’s input was fundamental in designing this world-class resort.
Ecologically sustainable solutions feature heavily in the design including rainwater collection, rooftop gardens, salt water pools, water recycling, wind turbines and solar panels. The primary challenge was air conditioning. Without mains power, generator dependency had to be minimized due to cost. MAP’s extensive experience in Villa design in Thailand made it easy to design a natural ventilation system for the public areas, with full air conditioning restricted to the bedrooms.
Building a first-class resort in such a remote location was a logistical challenge MAP never underestimated. By collaborating and communicating clearly with the client at every stage of the project the client’s trust and support was won from the outset. Producing accurate, high quality renderings was very important in building and maintaining the relationship. The MAP team produced a suite of renderings with a high level of detail and visual integrity many of which are almost indistinguishable from the completed work.
