The architecture and interior concept are inspired by the rich cultural and environmental beauty of the volcanic island, the local Tamna culture and the historically significant existing hotel.
Located on Jeju, a South Korean island rich with natural landscapes; waterfalls, mountains, rock formations, beaches and the local Tamna culture. Heta’s competition winning design was developed through building a strong narrative around connection to nature and sense of place. Taking influence from the natural beauty and the dramatic topography of Jeju island Heta created a distinctive identity for the resort and a vision for an authentic and transformative guest experience.
The initial research by Heta examined global and Asian wellness trends to define a business case for the hotel, informed by domestic tourism trends. This became the main driver for the architectural and interior concepts and was a key differentiator from neighbouring hotels.
The design developed as a response to place. The siting of the extension seeks to respect the natural surroundings by integrating into the existing topography. This preserve and enhances the best assets of the hotel, its lawn, and terraces. The design of the extension embraces the breath-taking views of the ocean and forest, wrapping in an organic form around the slopes of the adjacent hills to avoid impeding the views from the existing hotel. The architecture was intended to become emblematic of the drama of the coastal site. Horizontal projecting balcony terraces and basalt stone facing married with the horizontal rock strata of the cliffs below.
This design of the hotel was focused on bringing in the beauty of the surrounding nature to be experienced in a sequence of public spaces; dining options that nurture the connection to nature, a healing courtyard for wellness related activities and an immersive thermal spa inspired by local volcanic lava tube caves.
The hotel design features innovative building technologies and systems designed to mitigate the environmental impact of the building's operation and embodied energy. Passive environmental design was considered in every aspect of the building form and fabric showing Heta’s commitment to climatically appropriate architecture.
