Castaway Island Resort

VTN Architects (Vo Trong Nghia Architects)

Project description

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 boats, which takes about 2 hours from Hai Phong port. The resort’s mission is to provide a memorable stay at the island which is surrounded by tropical nature. In a private beach of 3,000 m2, engulfed on one side by a mountain range and on the other side by an expansive white sand shore. The resort consists of five huts, a restaurant, and a pavilion designed to inspire guests to immerse themselves into nature. The bamboo structure is covered with a thatched roof, offering authentic Vietnamese cultural experience as well as reducing environmental impact. Next, the restaurant features a hyperbolic-parabolic shell structure, which forms a semi-outdoor space for social gathering and interactions. Each of the 13 bamboo shell units is composed of 80 straight bamboos, creating a wavy ceiling and rhythmical roof landscape. Recycled timber shutters which are typically used in traditional Vietnamese colonial villas formed the huts facade. These bamboo structures not only enhance guests experience on the island but also become a landmark of this popular tourist destination. Utilizing natural and vernacular materials is an environmentally-conscious aspect that we want to approach for this project.