Castaway Island Resort

Castaway Island Resort

Status:

01/2019

Program:

Resort

Location:

Lan Ha guft, Cat Ba Island, Hai Phong, Vietnam

GFA:

1,100 m2

Principal Architect:

Vo Trong Nghia, Takashi Niwa

Design team:

Nguyen Duc Trung, Nguyen Minh Khuong, Koji Yamamoto

Bamboo contractor:

VTN Architects (Vo Trong Nghia Architects)

Client:

Tung Long Trade JSC

Photographers:

Hiroyuki Oki

Castaway Island Resort is located in a tiny beautiful island in Cat Ba Archipelago, a well-known tourist destination in Vietnam. It can accommodate up to 160 guests, mainly international tourists. The site is only accessible by boat, which takes about 2 hours Hai Phong port. The resort is aimed to provide a memorable stay at the island which is surrounded by tropical nature.


In a private beach with an area of 3,000 m2, the resort consists of five huts, a restaurant and a pavilion, which are designed to immerse the guests in nature. They are made by bamboo structure covered with thatched roof, offering authentic Vietnamese cultural experience as well as reducing environmental impact. The thin bamboo (Tam Vong), measured only 40-50 mm in diameter, are assembled by bamboo dowel nail and then tightened by rope. The bamboo is treated by a natural traditional method developed at the Vietnamese craft village, which involves soaking in mud and smoked afterwards.
Next, the restaurant features a hyperbolic-parabolic shell structure, which forms a semi-outdoor space for social gathering and interaction. Each of the 13 bamboo shell units are composed of 80 straight bamboos, creating a wavy ceiling and rhythmical roof landscape.
For accommodation, five huts are built by bamboo frame modules which offer cozy bed space for each guest. These frames are assembled on the ground to shorten construction period and improve workmanship. Recycled timber shutters which are typically used in traditional Vietnamese colonial villas, form the huts façade.


These bamboo structures not only enhance guests experience on the island but also become a landmark of this popular tourist destination, where many boats cruise through the Cat Ba Archipelago.
 

Awards

ARCASIA Awards for Architecture/ Gold Winner [Category: B-2 Public Amenity: Resort Buildings]/ Castaway Island Resort

FuturArc Green Leadership Award/ Winner [Category: Commerce]/ Castaway Island Resort

National Architecture Awards / Bronze/ Castaway Island Resort

LOOP Design Awards/ Honorable Mention [Category: Hospitality & Hotels]/ Castaway Island Resort

BLT Built Design Awards/ Winner [Category: Architecture Design - Hospitality]/ Castaway Island Resort

World Architecture Community Awards 39th Cycle/ Winner [Category: Architecture Realised]/ Castaway Island Resort