Alila is a 200-room resort with four bar/restaurants, a conference facility, a health spa, and three swimming pools. The entire resort was built in accordance with ‘Green Globe’ environmental guidelines focused on reducing light pollution and respecting the natural habitats of the local flora and fauna. Given the vernacular architectural style, several choices of lighting treatments, materials and fixtures were informed by local crafts. Light levels were kept at a minimum, thereby sculpting a romantic and exclusive feel. 

After a series of meetings and interviews with AWA, Seabird was confident it had found the right studio with which to collaborate. “Given the nature of the project, we all wanted to be sure that there were synergies amongst the team members and that we understood the vision and requirements of the project,” says Abhay Wadhwa, principal, AWA. “We were primarily chosen because we can engage in designing a ‘hand-crafted’ project where the lighting design is a bespoke solution for the project in question, and not recycled design ideas from other projects.”

The approach for Alila Diwa had two key aims. Firstly, to create a fully immersive experience for guests in which illumination, from the overall plan to the material used for individual light fixtures, would emphasize the resort’s spirit of serenity, luxury and romance.
Secondly, on an ethical level, the team wanted to attain green globe status through the balanced utilization and preservation of local resources, and through a reduction of light pollution.

In creating the concept, Alila Diwa and its surroundings became both subject and inspiration. The beauty and complexity of the local flora and fauna - the indigenous frangipani and banyan trees, for example - were integrated into the lighting concept and augmented through a judicious rendition by appropriately located light fixtures.