Green is Good. These Biophilic Hotels Invite the Outside In

SOME TRAVELLERS GET ENERGISED BY Bangkok’s traffic-tangled streets and bustling sois. For the others, there is Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River. Sitting on a quiet stretch downstream from the ever-lively Saphan Taksin Pier, this biophilic hotel is designed to help slow you down, with cascading water features, polished rocks sitting in reflecting pools, and a rich array of greenery that adds to the sense of distance from the city. 

“In our hotel, guests don’t just check-in; they step into an environment that immediately recalibrates their senses,” says the hotel’s general manager, and Four Seasons regional vice president, Lubosh Barta. “Nature permeates every corner, accompanied by the gentle soundtrack of flowing water and birdsong.” 

Architect Jean-Michel Gathy’s serene design offers a different sort of city stay: an oasis of green amid the action. It puts the Malaysia-based architect firmly at the vanguard of the hottest hotel design trend of the moment, one that I would argue Asia does better than anywhere else, and one that might even help you stay healthier, longer. 

It is known in the industry as biophilic hotel architecture, which means design that connects you with nature. At its simplest, that just means lots of natural light and natural materials, shapes inspired by organic forms, and plenty of plant life—but today’s architects are taking it further than ever before. 

The idea is not new, of course. Tropical resorts in particular have long looked to reflect their surroundings through their design, whether that is the rustic-glam bamboo structures found in Indonesian resorts such as Bali’s Bambu Indah and Bawah Reserve in the Anambas archipelago—where the curved structures echo the shape of a seashell—or the more polished style of The Brando in French Polynesia, where the villas feature thatched roofs supported by ironwood tree trunks. 

What is new, however, is how many hotels and resorts, particularly those in urban environments, are embracing the look, driven by a post-pandemic hunger for nature that is here to stay, according to Mark Wong, Small Luxury Hotels’ senior vice- president Asia-Pacific. 

“Travellers are now drawn to the sense of escape that nature offers, as well as the mental and physical benefits that come with it, which is also in line with the rising focus on personal wellbeing,” Wong says. 

And that is one of the key drivers of this biophilic boom: our improved understanding of the benefits that being in nature brings. Scientific studies have linked spending time in nature to everything from improved heart health to helping fend off dementia. Little wonder biophilic design is moving off the islands and into the cities. 

INSPIRED BY FIREFLIES

Among the architects showing the way is Kengo Kuma. His recent projects include, in Sabah, Malaysia, the Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu, which he conceived of as a giant tree, wrapping the façade in wood- print louvres and cladding the interiors in Selangan batu wood to maintain the natural feel. 

Kuma’s work in his native Japan is even more eye-catching. On the island of Kyushu, Kai Yufuin is a contemporary ryokan where the landscape is framed through floor- to-ceiling glass doors, and rooms feature indigenous materials such as cedar floors, and bamboo headboards and sofas. 

The most charming touch is the use of mood lamps, which send beams of light dancing around the room, inspired by the fireflies that flitter through the fields on balmy summer evenings. 

Kuma’s design for city high-rise property The Tokyo EDITION Toranomon created an urban oasis through abundant use of greenery in the public spaces, particularly its two-story lobby. Asked why he draws so heavily on nature in his designs, Kuma’s response is simple. “Greenery, plants, or nature on the whole, can liberate you from the heaviness of the architecture,” he says. 

Nowhere is that truer than Singapore, where government support for green architecture has led to the development of a slew of buildings that are studied around the world. Pan Pacific Hotels Group has been working with local architecture studio WOHA on a series of increasingly ambitious hotels including the Oasia Hotel Downtown, a tower building with a façade covered by 21 species of creeper vine. 

The 23-story Pan Pacific Orchard, which opened last year on Orchard Road, takes things to another level. Its striking silhouette, reminiscent of the letter S, features a number of cut-out terraces offering natural retreats high above the city streets. 

The forest terrace has a water plaza edged by trees, while guests who stay on the beach terrace can step straight from their rooms into an emerald lagoon complete with palm groves and a sandy beach. Above it all is the cloud terrace, with mirror pools and a lush lawn. Plant- covered pillars stretching 120 metres connect the various strata. 

LOW-IMPACT LUXE 

It is not just the design of Pan Pacific Orchard that is special—this new central- Singapore building also scores strongly in the sustainability stakes. Biophilic design isn’t automatically sustainable but, more often than not, architects want to help conserve the planet that inspired their work. In this case, solar panels and rainwater harvesting helped the hotel achieve BCA Green Mark Platinum status. 

The design itself does much of the work. The terraces invite in both daylight and natural ventilation, which reduces the need for air-conditioning, while the mass plantings purify the air and reduce the ambient temperature. 

WOHA co-founder Richard Hassell says biophilic building has both psychological and physical benefits: “Every human has a feeling like we’ve lost Eden. To be in a landscape teeming with nature feels like a paradise.” 

WOHA is the latest in a line of Asian innovators that can be traced back to Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa, whose acclaimed Dambulla hotel, Heritance Kandalama, opened in 1991, just two years before Kerry Hill’s groundbreaking The Datai opened on Langkawi. 

Both hotels are masterpieces. Guests arriving at Heritance Kandalama follow a jungle path that suddenly reveals the hotel, its greenery-covered façade merging with the surrounding landscape. The hotel’s two wings are connected by a rock-hewn corridor that feels like a cave. 

Hill’s Langkawi property became famous for turning its back on the glorious nearby beachfront. Instead, Hill sited The Datai’s villas in the heart of the rainforest, so that guests look out onto moss-covered tree trunks and are cautioned to keep their balcony doors closed to prevent the macaques that dwell in the tropical forest from wreaking havoc inside their rooms. 

When it opened, many travellers were challenged by the idea of being so close to nature, and without a seaview to boot. Today it’s quite different, says SLH’s Wong, who sees huge demand for properties that combine “incredible, intimate and off-grid experiences along with luxurious amenities and outstanding service.” 

You can find them in virtually every country in the Asia-Pacific region. The SLH collection alone stretches from Villa Tokay on the Indonesian island of Gili Air, a collection of four private villas made of locally sourced natural materials, to The Chalets at Blackheath, set in the spectacular Blue Mountains just outside Sydney, Australia. 

Inspired by the area’s World Heritage–listed landscapes, each chalet replicates the colours and textures of nature, from feature walls made of clay, hemp and stone to bathroom tiles inspired by the hues of the nearby sandstone cliffs. 

ESCAPE TO THE JUNGLE 

As with any trend, biophilic design continues to evolve. Billy Ip, principal of Woods Bagot architecture firm, says more architects are moving away from manicured plantings and embracing a principle pioneered by Bawa and Hill: nature-driven design, which creates eco-systems instead of gardens. 

“It’s not about making things look nice and green for the guests,” Ip says. “It’s more holistic: creating habitats for insects and bees and butterflies. Using indigenous plants is also a form of cultural preservation—it highlights the unique character of the location,” allowing luxury to feel restorative. 

Few properties embody the trend as well as Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape. Banyan Tree hotels have long embraced natural materials and natural settings; the first property in their new Banyan Tree Escape sub-brand takes it a step further. 

Located on a jungle-clad mountainside north of Ubud, the villas were designed to blend within the existing landscape. The resort’s “no walls, no doors” policy meant the design team had to carefully choose the location for each villa. 

“Before we started putting together the concept for the design, we stayed in the village for three months,” Gede Kresna, of Rumah Intaran architects, says. Once they had mapped fundamental factors such as wind patterns and how sunlight falls across the site, they were able to identify the best positions for each villa. The low-impact construction approach avoided heavy machinery, using traditional techniques wherever possible. 

Of course, some natural encounters are best avoided. While Buahan’s vegetation screens villas off from each other, the lack of walls naturally raises concerns about visits from local insects. Watching butterflies float past is one thing; having mosquitoes and any manner of unknown critters invade your sleeping space is another. 

The team used a combination of low- and high-tech methods to deter unwanted visitors, everything from planting vegetation known for its insect-repellent qualities to using radio frequencies that animals prefer to avoid. 

Kresna—who will also design the second Banyan Tree Escape, located on an island off Sumatra—made sure each villa also includes two sets of sheer curtains that guests can draw if they feel the need for more privacy. However, he is happy if most visitors try to get by without them. 

“We encourage guests to embrace the openness, to be in communion with nature,” he says. Because that is the best escape of all. 

The Details 

Bambu Indah Bali, Indonesia. bambuindah.com; doubles from US$400

Bawah Reserve Anambas, Indonesia. bawahreserve.com; doubles from US$1,900 

The Brando Tetiaroa, French Polynesia. thebrando.com; doubles from €4,500 all-inclusive 

Buahan A Banyan Tree Escape Bali, Indonesia. escape.banyantree.com; doubles from US$1,173

Chalets at Blackheath New South Wales, Australia. chaletsblackheath.com.au; doubles from A$1,300 including breakfast 

The Datai Langkawi, Malaysia. thedatai.com; doubles from RM2,700

Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River Bangkok, Thailand. fourseasons.com; doubles from Bt17,000 

Heritance Kandalama Dambulla, Sri Lanka. heritancehotels.com; doubles from US$180 half board 

KAI Yufuin Kyushu, Japan. hoshinoresorts.com; doubles from ¥70,000 including dinner and breakfast 

Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu Sabah, Malaysia. hyatt.com; doubles from RM550

Pan Pacific Orchard Singapore. panpacific.com; double occupancy beach club pool access loft S$830 

The Tokyo Toranomon EDITION Tokyo, Japan. editionhotels.com; doubles from ¥80,000 

Villa Tokay Gili Air, Indonesia. villatokay.com; doubles from Rs3,800,000 including breakfast and harbour pick-up 

BOOK YOUR STAY AT THE TOKYO EDITION, TORANOMON VIA BOOKING.COM

Lede and hero image courtesy of Bambu Indah.

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