Design Brief

ONE15 Marina Club, in conjunction with its parent company SUTL requested a proposal for an eco-friendly resort on Lazarus Island, Singapore, to assess the viability of this commercial and socially responsible venture. The brief was to create 20 fabric tent-like accommodations on a long stretch of sandy beach for vacationers or beach goers, and to add a new beach club/ bar and grille restaurant to an existing pavilion with new solar roof panels and power generators.

“Barefoot access is encouraged on its sand covered floor so that guests can literally ‘kick off their shoes’ and stroll along the beach after a drink or meal.”

Design Concept

The idea of Glamping or “Glamorous Camping”, although a novelty in Singapore, is actually common in safaris and mountainous retreats in other parts of the world. Glamping is where stunning nature meets modern luxury. To cater to a younger generation of affluent travellers and thrill-seekers looking for unconventional experiences, we proposed a peerless combination of untamed nature with exotic comfort.

Eschewing from a generic, one-size-fits-all design approach for this project, we first studied various glamping resorts around the world, ranging from Tanzania’s Serengiti, Kenya’s Masai Mara & Kruger National Park in Africa to Camp Amangiri in Utah, USA. We concluded that a ‘safari on an island’ concept, where wild outdoors meet cool indoors, are highly feasible on Lazarus Island due to its pre-existing infrastructure such as water, drainage and electrical services.

To provide an uninterrupted view of the sea, we scattered the 20 tents in a zig-zag formation across the beach. Designing for sustainability and economy, we opted for tents that can be ordered off-the-shelf with basic customisation to create air-conditioned interiors. Each tent will be designed to withstand the harshest of conditions through a series of UV, wind, rain, fire and flame resistant treatments while still carrying translucent qualities.

The exotic safari experience, set to be one of the first in Singapore, is implemented at every touch-point.

The wild landscape of the beach was retained in its original condition but interspersed with groves of coconut trees and wild beach grass.  A brick and bamboo pavilion greets guests upon their arrival. Designed like an outback house, it encloses the reception, a bohemian bar and grill restaurant. Barefoot access is encouraged on its sand covered floor so that guests can literally ‘kick off their shoes’ and stroll along the beach after a drink or meal. Bare-faced concrete and brickwork, candle-lit lanterns and wood folding screens brings out the robust character of its architecture.

Within the interior of the tents, a curated collection of rustic furniture were chosen to encapsulate the creature comfort of a luxury camp. These range from folding stools, tables, adirondack lounge chairs to African basket-weave screens, masks and rugs. The bathroom also feature bespoke sanitary fittings and a skylight so that each guest may experience the fullness of wild luxury in the tent.

The result is a fusion of rawness and luxury, both seemingly mutually exclusive in Singapore, finally becoming the first and only one. It reveals a contrast of adventure and simple luxuries in the tropics, where the thrill of being close to nature is matched with thoughtfully designed creature comforts.