Boat International US Edition – June 2019

boatinternational.com• 062019

What the team did bring to the
island was carefully considered.
The units are strong geometrical
concrete structures topped with
“organically shaped” shelters in a
tropicalpinethatissustainable
andsuitedtotheclimate.The
double roofcreates a natural
ventilationsystem–thetimber
repellingheatandtheconcrete
wallsactingasacoolant,whilea
breeze runs betweenthe two
surfaces.“Comparedwithother

toguestsinglassbottlestoreduce

plasticconsumption;flatroofs in

thestaffvillageallowsolarpanels,

greenhousesandroofgardens for

hydroponiccultivationoffruitand

vegetables.Andtherearemore

smartideas,includinganelectric

boatdesignedbyPeiaforgueststo

use.Thebenefitofallthisismutual

• itmakessensetoprotectthe
  resort’snaturalwondersbecause
  theyare,afterall,itsgreatestdraw.
  westin.marriott.com

“Wereusedalltheshipping

containers.Fourofthem

arenowacontemporary

divecenter”

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HeldannuallyonJune8,

WorldOceansDayisan

internationalinitiative

thataimstoraisethe

fundsneededtosupport

marineprojectsaround

theglobe.Findouthow

youcangetinvolvedwith

ourcomprehensiveguide.

boatint.com/world-

oceans-day-2019

Baa Atoll has one of the Indian Ocean’s

largest groups of coral reefs and is a

stop-off for traveling larvae and organisms

Thirteen of

Baa Atoll’s 75

islands are

inhabited, with a

totalpopulation

of12,000

resorts, air conditioning usage is

approximately 40 percent less,”

Peia says. To minimize the project’s

waste and carbon footprint, the

architects also created a second life

ontheislandforby-products.“We

reusedalltheshippingcontainers

fromtransportationofgoods,”he

says.“Fourofthemarenowa

contemporarydivecenter.”Excess

concretepilings,meanwhile,have

beenrecycledinto monolithic

fencingthat’sinkeepingwiththe

resort’scontemporarystyle.

Thelookdeviatessignificantly

fromthethatchedstyleofmost

Maldivianresorts–anarchitecture

thathasnoconnection tothe

locale.Instead,Peiaexplains,

“weusednaturalmaterials to

createacontemporarytropical

atmosphere.”Inside,thedesignhas

Japaneseinfluences,withrattan

and bamboo weaves, timber

patterns,slidingpartitionsthat

referenceshōjiscreens,andan

elegant,spareapproachtodecor.

Materialsalsoadheretotheresort

ethos,fromtheceramicslabsthat

imitateopenbookmarblewithout

carvingupItalianmountains,tothe

low-energyLEDlighting.

Theresort’soperationwillalso

leantowardsthegreen:waterfrom

adesalinationplantisfurther

purified,remineralizedandserved

The design of the

arrival jetty was

inspired by a clam

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