Jury comment
This project demonstrates the ecological impacts and striking experiential outcomes made possible by the leadership of landscape architects in the ecotourism space. The landscape team weaves a strong appreciation for site and ecology through all aspects of the brief, which introduces a new resort to an eight-hectare former agricultural site in Costa Rica. At all phases and scales of the project, the design responds sensitively to context. At a large scale, it balances the requirements of the resort with a comprehensive reforestation strategy, extending an existing sloth sanctuary; at a site scale, a well-researched planting strategy establishes habitat corridors and privacy for guests; at a small scale, details incorporate local volcanic geology to stunning effect in a series of terraced thermal pools. The work demonstrates leadership beyond the project itself, forming part of the landscape team’s longer-term advocacy for the more widespread use of native flora. The jury was first stunned by the outcomes achieved and then impressed by the layered thinking behind the project.
Nayara Tented Camp is located in La Fortuna, Alajuela, Costa Rica.
Project credits
Design practice Vida Masterplanning and Design Client Nayara Resorts Architects C2 Architecture; Luxury Frontiers Photographer Robert D’Ambrosio
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