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VanaVasa Resort Janda Baik

Steelpedia_Architecture_Design_VanaVasa-01

A Tranquil Forest Retreat, Where Nature’s Bounty and Sustainable Design Unite in Stunning Views

Vanavasa which means ‘living in the forest’ in Sanskrit is a 30 key resort built on to a 2-acre site located at Tanarimba, Jandabaik, Pahang. The site is a pristine tropical forested hill on the crest of Tanarimba (approximately 800m above sea level) with spectacular views looking towards Genting Highlands.

The client, originally intended the resort as a private resort exclusively for the staff members to use during weekends or company events. his eventually evolved into a full-fledged resort concept, now open to the public.

The resort consists of a 10 room main building connected to 20 room chalets via a network of buggy tracks. Due to the steep slopes walking up to the chalets would be challenging for many; hence, the idea of the buggy tracks came into the picture.

The main building nestled into the slope of the site consists of carparking, reception and a gym at the entry level. The level above is houses the restaurant, kitchen, a heated pool and outdoor decking with changing room and toilet facilities. The upper floor is exclusively for 10 rooms that look out onto the pool and the Genting Highlands Resort in the distance. The building floor plate was curved slightly to ensure all the rooms enjoyed this view.

As the site was on a slope, it was possible to create another floor below the carpark level in which the back of house where the staff living quarters were discreetly tucked in. The main building was constructed in off-form concrete, exposed brickwork and unpainted cement walls to create a natural palette of materials that could co-exist with its surroundings.

Dotted along the rest of the hill were 10 units of pod-like chalet structures on stilts each consisting of 2 units (upper and lower level) totalling 20 rooms that were connected to the main building through buggy tracks that snaked along the undulating hill.

The pod like shapes of the chalets that lightly perched on the hills were inspired by the tent like glamping structures popular in many rest houses in Janda Baik. These however were built in steel framed structures wrapped in a skin of standing seam Colorbond metal roofing. By stacking one room above the other, a narrow floor plate could be achieved allowing the ‘pods’ to be carefully placed in between the trees. By disallowing any wet works on this part of the site, heavy machinery access was avoided, preserving the natural topography, flora, and fauna. All chalets were orientated to the stunning views of the Genting Highland mountain range.

The project managed to achieve a Gold Certification by GreenRE for its efforts in its ecological approach to the project. For example no air conditioning is provided in the development. To achieve this, careful consideration were made to orient the building away from the western sun. Insulated roofs wrap the chalets down to the sides creating additional protection. The restaurant for example is totally open, allowing breeze to naturally flow in and bamboo blinds were installed to keep out the elements. Small details like allowing slots of openings just below the ceiling of every room ensures cross ventilation and hot air discharge even if the main doors and windows were closed.

Other green initiatives included rain-water harvesting tanks that capture the surface water run-offs and reused for irrigation. Natural ground water was also found on the site during construction and this was later used to build a small fish pond where the natural water from the mountain flowed in. Originally the main material intended for the roof eaves and sunshade louvres were bamboo. However, this idea was later abandoned as the quality of local bamboo was not good enough and required them to be imported from Indonesia or Thailand. This defeated the purpose of using this green material as the logistics did not make any ecological sense. In the end we decided to use composite timber (WPC) with bamboo-like profiles to create the originally intended aesthetics. Other green initiatives included use of water-efficient water fittings, use of sustainable and low VOC materials, LED lighting and very little landscape intervention by by retaining the trees and vegetation in their naturally wild state. By not providing any fencing surrounding the resort, meant that animals were not restricted from coming into the resort allowing them to co-exist naturally.

About The Architect:

+603-79810778

info@mjkanny.com

https://www.mjkanny.com/

Unit 31-2 Jalan 4/109F, Plaza Danau Desa 2, Taman Danau Desa, 58100 Kuala Lumpur

Project Information

Malaysia

MJ Kanny Architect

VERMOE® Steel

Alluring Brown

WeatherSeam®, WeatherSpan®

Metal Roofing, Metal Wall Cladding

Completed

2023

BlueScope Architectural Award 2024 – Malaysia – Commercial (Gold)

BlueScope Architectural Award 2024 – ASEAN – Commercial (Gold)

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