Designed by Enviro Tec. Written by Ming Zhou

The design concept was inspired by the terraced paddy fields that dot the Balinese landscape – the familiar, everyday spaces with which the Balinese live harmoniously. Sweeping 250 metres along a bustling beachside street on the site of the old Sahid Hotel, the Sahid Kuta Lifestyle Resort transforms its little section of Kuta with sublime landscape enchantment.

The project covers an area of 3.2 hectares and contains two zones: the ‘Beachwalk’ retail lifestyle hub, and the five-star Sheraton Hotel Kuta Bali resort. The development is a mélange of landscape plates that create a ‘soft’ environment. Planned with consultation from the Balinese government, the development revamps and embellishes the streetscape and encourages positive interaction with pedestrians.

A soft veil of hanging vines and shallow water channels around the periphery of every building plate contribute to the lifestyle resort’s atmosphere of layered poetic idiosyncrasy. The development is perched on a landscaped deck that is elevated above street level. The earth-coloured base wall is lined with deep terracotta colour tiles in ‘Majapahit’ proportioned sizes which depict the islands of Indonesia – including Bali. It seems to be floating on a strip of water. The water flows down from the oasis (the ‘heart’ of Beachwalk) to the stone-terraced entry where the base walls are flanged on both sides.

The architecture’s curvaceous edges draw people into the central oasis where four ‘F&B’ pods and an open stage space float like garden islands. From here, the sinuous shapes of the retail pods can be clearly observed on two levels. Each retail pod accommodates a certain type of retail space. The locations of the retail pods have been carefully considered to create a central visual axis with views to the beach. Beachwalk consists of a series of terraced levels that also serve as viewing decks. The top-level pods are crested by roofs that each take the shape of a local farmer’s hat. 

Each retail unit has been designed as a glass pod with a soft shape and a light, transparent look. Around the café and dining pods, the outdoor alfresco decks can be seen as extensions of the gardens. Strategically located child-friendly spaces allow parents to enjoy refreshments and the view, while keeping an eye on their kids at play. They also overlook a central stage area that provides an interactive venue for events and performances, which can be viewed from all levels of the development – including from hotel rooms.

The development offers a new lifestyle hub typology. Besides being designed as a semi-open, naturally ventilated space, the retail ambiance here is also different from what one typically experiences when shopping in Bali. The name ‘Beachwalk’ is suggestive of a sensory dimension. Indeed, there is sensory value associated with being constantly visually connected to Kuta Beach, the sun, and the sky; of hearing the sound of water; of feeling the gentle breeze on a warm day; of smelling the aroma of the local flora; and of having a snack by the oasis. This sensory dimension is a simple but important component of the development.

Another notable feature is the set of ‘sky gardens’ above the garden island pod in the oasis. On the first level of Beachwalk, one can submerge oneself in garden spaces filled with various species of Balinese flora. The garden islands are linked by sky bridges that connect the farthest reaches of level one. The looping circulation increases human traffic flow and eliminates dead-end spaces.

The topmost level of Beachwalk sits at the convergence point of the curved building edges. From here, the most magnificent view of the entire development can be enjoyed. It offers a convergence of the experiences had at Beachwalk.

A traditional Balinese atmosphere is underlined by the incorporation of locally available and environmentally friendly materials. Beachwalk’s indoor retail alfresco areas are lined with locally produced terracotta floor tiles that mimic timber. The terracotta is juxtaposed against colour-stained exposed stone aggregate concrete flooring that features an abstracted floral ‘lotus’ motif. The use of traditional rattan weaving techniques, or anyamen, for ceiling treatments underpin the ambience of this area. For long-term functionality and maintenance, the anyamen ceilings are made from a non-toxic biodegradable polymer that is aesthetically similar to the natural material. Timber features in recycled ulin and teak contribute to the tropical look and feel. Every effort was made to avoid the unnecessary cutting down of trees.

Beachwalk integrates well with the busy street activity on Poppies Lane. Special attention was given to providing landscaped pedestrian ramps and walkways to increase the potential for visitors to casually wander in from the surrounding streets into the garden oasis area. The goal was to make the space feel like an extension of the beach.

The hotel portion will be operated by Sheraton. This is radical for the Kuta area, which is known for its backpackers and three- and four-star hotels. The idea of gentrification has its best intention in creating a beautiful and respectful built environment for Kuta.

The hotel’s vehicular drop-off point and entrance offers an element of surprise. It forms the crux of the hotel’s ‘open’ design concept. From the dense and overcrowded street, vehicles enter a small lane on the side of the hotel building. The lane is lined with vertical green walls and a beautifully crafted chequered and perforated wall built with natural colour  grey concrete blocks. The design of the perforated block wall recalls the traditional black and white chequered pattern, or poleng, creating a solid-and-void wall pattern. This wall cleverly shields the basement car park while facilitating its ventilation.

Hanging plants are perched above another patterned block wall. This time the pattern, which is common in Balinese buildings, is composed of recessed and semi-recessed concrete blocks. Entering the quiet lane brings immediate relief from the bustle of the street. Finally, after ascending the ramp, visitors arrival at the hotel’s lobby and begin their relaxing tropical escape.

The roof canopy (finished with the same biodegradable polymer) represents a typical alang alang Balinese roof. It cantilevers out to show off a double-volume lobby entry space. As one traverses up to the main lobby, a spectacular and unexpected sea view emerges. Nothing blocks the view to the sea – not even columns – because the lobby has been designed with a structural system that allows for 25 metres of column-free space. During sunset, the entire lobby glows with orange light. The naturally ventilated hotel lounge overlooks the pool, which, from this vantage point, seems to seamlessly join the ocean horizon.

The beachfront view is one of the hotel’s key features. Two sets of U-shaped hotel wings gesture toward the sea. Balinese gardens occupy the centre of each wing. The double-loaded hotel rooms are diagonally oriented to allow all guests to enjoy the beautiful Kuta sunset from their private balconies. Other facilities, such as a spa and gym, also offer sea views. The hotel is also equipped with a deluxe ball room.

Sahid Kuta Lifestyle Resort contains the biggest parking area in Bali. Access to this has been thoughtfully placed at the rear of the building so as not to obstruct the building frontage for the pleasure of pedestrians. This should resolve the problem of illegal parking along Kuta Beach, which creates unnecessary traffic obstructions.

The Sahid Kuta Lifestyle Resort breathes new life into the old Kuta that we know and love. Through its creation of semi-outdoor garden spaces, the necessity for air conditioning is minimised. By using locally available and recycled materials, local industries are promoted and consumption of resources during transport is reduced. In addition, the architects  applied a rainwater collection and water recycling system for maintaining the water features and gardens to reduce the stress on Bali’s already overburdened water supplies.

A Balinese surfer at Kuta Beach has described how he enjoys his daily ‘garden-esque’ view of the building. This is a simple illustration of success in the architects’ push for a movement toward environmental and social sustainability in the built environment. The greatest gesture of all is the good intention of breaking from conventional mall design and merging the development within the Balinese context.

Chew Tai Eng and his daughter Ming Zhou form the nucleus of Enviro Tec, and are the principal architectural consultants for this project. This experienced Singaporean architectural design company has existed for over 40 years, and has been operating in Indonesia for two decades.