Page 13 - U4SSC Case study: Affordable housing and social inclusion, June 2020

In 2014, Nomadic Resorts was approached by Resplendent Ceylon, a successful local hotel management
company, and asked to design a low-impact, tented resort that would set a sustainability benchmark
in Sri Lanka and rival the high-end safari operators in Southern Africa. The aim of the project was
to rehabilitate a 7-hectare site, build a tent camp and transform the site into a sanctuary for the
surrounding wildlife.

There were, however, a range of complex challenges associated with the project – the site had been
leased as part of a tourism development initiative – as water, electricity and sewage treatment facilities
were all absent. The site was a 14 km drive from the nearest village and the winding, dirt road access
was challenging. In essence, a resort for 72 guests and a staff village to cater for nearly 120 personnel
was created, in an area regularly frequented by elephants, leopards and bears.

These challenges were overcome by developing relations with the local community, using a former
school principal as the community manager in the village and a 22-year-old British intern from the
University of Plymouth as the construction manager, 3D renders for the project were presented to a
group of 26 local, unskilled workers who were asked to lend their assistance.

Large, experienced contractors had already proved reticent to build a series of contemporary,
organically shaped buildings in such a remote location, which were in complete aesthetic contrast to
their traditional work. However, the local community embraced the project and immediately recognized
its value and agreed to become involved in the project.

Vision and content

The vision of the project was to create a camp with organic architecture that integrates seamlessly into
the site and the rugged sandy coastline overlooking the Indian Ocean. The entire lodge is designed
to give visitors an intimate experience of Yala, celebrating the flora, fauna and culture of the area
with minimal intrusion on the landscape. Local influences form an integral part of the project, from
vernacular traditions and materials to community involvement. The architecture references natural
formations in Yala’s landscape, namely the massive, rounded boulders scattered throughout the park,
at the macro scale, and termite mounds, at the micro scale. Adopting a human scale in between, the
camp’s main buildings appear as outcrops of boulder-like pavilions clustered organically together at
either end of the site. Larger, open volumes intersect with smaller enclosed domes that house more
private functions.

Case study: Affordable housing and social inclusion, June 2020 7