Alila’s latest addition to the Seminyak coastline in Bali is a contemporary resort with vertical gardens and an ancient temple at its heart lending a truly distinctive character
Designed by Singapore-based architecture firm URBNarc, the architectural team maximises Alila Seminyak’s privileged location with the best ocean views at every opportunity while maintaining an atmosphere of privacy and individuality.
Aside to a beachfront experience, Alila Seminyak feels like a lush secret garden. A distinctive blend of contemporary architecture, woven through with vertical greens, wall-hugging plants, green roofs and landscaped terraces, designed to enliven the senses. Green spaces abound, replicated in corridors, lobbies and all public spaces, naturally ventilated by ocean breezes. And when it comes to stay, Alila Seminyak’s 240 rooms and suites, including one 811 square metre, three-bedroom penthouse, do not disappoint.
Housed in four separate buildings throughout the resort, the rooms and suites expressed contemporary style, composite of thoughtfully designed and usable spaces for artisanal living. Every room is designed to maximise views and are furnished with sliding doors, wide balconies and sun shading screens, enabling guests to fully embrace the light and airiness of the outdoors. Against this canvas of timeless elegance, a touch of the destination can be found in unique details such as customised lamps with wooden batik blocks featuring contemporary-styled Balinese design motifs.
Beyond its aesthetic appeal however, Alila Seminyak’s design is grounded in sustainability and a celebration of its locale. Alila Seminyak will be the first resort in Indonesia to surpass the rigorous EarthCheck Building, Planning and Design standards, achieving a 44 point best practice score against the industry norm at five points. This means that Allila Seminyak (particularly in Australasia and Indonesia) is a leading development regarding sustainable development and long-term ecological improvement performance.
Sensitive site planning included the preservation of the local landowner’s family home, and an ancient ancestral temple that has stood on the site for generations. The temple was integrated into the resort’s design, framed as a central focal point for the entire property, providing the landowner and his family continued access to make their daily offerings, while also affording guests a unique glimpse into Balinese traditions.
The preservation of these features provided inspiration for the overall resort layout, which is based around the concept of a Balinese family compound. The resort comprises a cluster of individual buildings positioned around the central temple, connected by an open-air garden corridor – a contemporary reflection of traditional Balinese compound life that merges seamlessly with its environment. Besides the temple and shrines maintained around the property, other traditional Balinese elements are discreetly embedded throughout, such as local artwork in the lobby, restaurant and gardens, and landscaping with native plants.
Use of local building materials, and the incorporation of environmental, energy and resource-efficient systems are also integral to the design. All architectural, landscape and interior finishes are made entirely from local materials. These include certified recycled or reclaimed ulin wood used for wooden screens and pool decks, local Batu Jogia stone for balconies, and terrazzo for flooring made by small independent village craftsmen.
In addition, Alila Seminyak’s open plan layout is designed to maximise the use of natural cooling, shading and daylight to reduce energy use, taking advantage of natural sea breezes, with no air conditioning in public areas. Thoroughly modern yet paying tribute to tradition, Alila Seminyak has raised the bar in terms of resort design, innovation and sustainability, delivering on Alila’s reputation for offering guests a ‘surprisingly different’ experience.
