design et al are delighted to announce that Wonaw & Associates have been shortlisted for Hotel Suite Asia Pacific Award in The International Hotel and Property Awards 2017.
The Pavilions Himalayas Eco resort is located in a valley near Phewa Lake, Pokhara, Nepal. Surrounded by farmland, forested hills and a mountain fed stream, the 14 luxurious eco-friendly villas form the natural landscape. Spread over organic farmland, the resort respects the natural elements, showcasing village life in Nepal. The resort has been conceptualised to be a part of the village and eco-friendly in every sense possible with minimal footprint to the environment from its early design stage to its construction and actual finishing. The use of local materials, workforce, indigenous technology and local architecture blended with the eco-friendly technologies and practices have been the guiding principles for the design.The site is part of a small village and lies at the base of a hill, and spread over two hectares of gradually gradient farmland. To its South are steep hills with a dense forest, to its north are open farmlands which overlook the Himalayas. The villas and the clubhouse are placed close to the southern perimeter and orientated north to maximise the visibility to the valley and Himalayas beyond. The site is home to majestic eagles and a multitude of birds, wildlife, flora and fauna. As the site is a farmland, the structures were placed strategically to not disturb the prime fields, but still give the best views. The structures were also placed away from each other to provide privacy. The natural gradient of the land also allowed Wonaw & Associates to position the structures strategically to ensure that they all had a non-impeding clear view towards the Himalayas. The landscaping has also been designed to this effect to provide easy access to the various structures while maintaining privacy. The structures are built on a single and split level configurations, using the natural topography to minimise the disturbances to the flow of land. The villas are built spaciously with the latest amenities to give a sense of comfort and luxury. Latest construction technology along with traditional architecture and local craftsmen also make the buildings safe, energy efficient and coherent to the local surroundings.Hotels and Resorts have an enormous appetite for resources in order for them to operate and function properly. A lot of electricity is required, either from the mains or from diesel generators; cooking gas and food is also required at mammoth scales. They consume huge amounts of water either from the municipal supply or extract from the ground, eventually depleting the water table. And in return they produce considerable amounts of waste, pollution and put a lot of pressure in commodities and resources. An absence of these resources cripples their operation, as can be witnessed in the present times of economic blockade. On the contrary, the recently opened Pavilions Himalayas is a unique and first of its kind self-sustainable Eco Resort project in Nepal and probably one of the very few environment friendly resorts in Asia. The eco-friendly design sets an unprecedented new standard in the hospitality industry with many environment friendly features and will be an inspiration for future resorts to come. A unique self-sustainable eco resort project in Nepal, and probably one of the very few environment friendly resorts in the region, the design sets an unprecedented new standard in the hospitality industry uniting many sustainability and energy saving features. The Pavilions Himalayas will be a source of inspiration for resort designs of the future.