Aman has launched the STUDIO NvS-designed Amankila Residences to market. Master-planned for Bali’s Karangasem Regency, the 11 luxury homes are a modern interpretation of the language of the neighbouring resort, drawing inspiration from local village planning and the hotel’s enduring architectural design. The steep terrain affords each villa sweeping views of the Lombok Strait, with a terrace-fronting infinity pool that merges with the horizon echoing Amankila’s iconic tiered pool. Thatch-roofed pavilions step across the hillside, connected by open walkways and a natural stone plinth. STUDIO NvS was engaged by Aman to master plan the development and design the architecture and interiors of four distinct villa types. Construction will begin in 2025.

As everything begins to flourish and rivers gradually fill up, farmers in the Nujiang Canyon bend over in the terraced fields, planting rice seedlings and nurturing hopes of a bountiful harvest. At this great season, Songtsam Bingzhongluo Lodge has commenced its trial operation in Yunnan.

The completion of Songtsam Bingzhongluo Lodge marks the official fulfillment of Songtsam's comprehensive layout in the Three Parallel Rivers region. In the future, it will offer Songtsam guests a richer travel experience.

Construction has begun on our luxury river lodge for Songtsam near the Burmese border. Designed as both a standalone resort and a waypoint on a driving tour around Yunnan, the property of 7500m2 houses 48 generously sized guest rooms placed to enjoy views across the river to mountains.

We’re delighted for our clients at Songtsam who have again been recognised in the Conde Nast Traveler Gold Awards. Songtsam Shangri-la Linka has been named one of the top ten hotels in China, 2022! We are currently working on a master plan for the hotel, increasing the number of guest rooms at the iconic property and introducing new guest experiences along the Tea Horse Trail.

Whatever the location, beachside, mountain top or city edge, the design explorations that shape a resort remain the same.

We’ve completed the developed design for luxury river lodge near the Burmese border, in collaboration with Huasen Design Institute from Kunming. Designed as both a standalone resort and a waypoint on a driving tour around Yunnan, the property of 7500m2 houses 48 generously sized guest rooms placed to enjoy views across the river to mountains.

Working internationally, we are often in a position of designing in a place that is not ‘our’ place, where we must quickly develop a deep and respectful understanding of the local landscape, built culture, spirituality and economy.

A startling piece in New Scientist reports that in 2020 humanity’s creations outweighed the biosphere for the first time. The article describes the literally massive increase in man-made stuff in the past century.

We’re looking forward to receiving our copy of Leon van Schaik’s new book ‘Doing, Seeing; Seeing, Doing’. Leon is of course a member of the studio NvS family (literally!) but he was also a great influence as our architecture professor at RMIT. Leon’s new book explores how our personal spatial histories effect our design, a topic of keen interest to studio NvS as we create settings that birth new histories and cultures.

Planning permission has been granted for our luxury river lodge near the Burmese border, designed as both a standalone resort and a waypoint on a driving tour around Yunnan. This is the fourth resort Studio NvS has planned for the owner/operator Songtsam. Each responds to the unique landscape and cultural context of its location in the foothills of the Tibetan Plateau.

A German Professor’s work on walking teaches us to look for clues in existing conditions and to recognise the embedded wisdom of accumulated actions.

We’ve had fun over the past few weekends playing with Microsoft’s 2020 release of Flight Simulator. With a new world map utilising Bing Maps’ satellite imagery and AI to re-create the terrain of the entire planet and populate it with building models, vegetation and water, we wondered whether the game would be useful as an analysis tool. And indeed it is, allowing us to pay flying visits to sites currently blocked by physical travel restrictions.

Gaming Engines are allowing life-like (or less-so) worlds to be simulated in real-time. Where does this technology leave architects? With an expanded field of operation or a narrowed scope of actual buildings catering to tactile, aromatic and acoustic experience?

We recently happened upon the ever-growing online image collection at the M+ Pavilion of West Kowloon's under-development cultural precinct. What an incredible archive of the last 80 years of Asian architectural modernism.

Pedestrian bridges knotted from riverbank roots, fish-farm landscapes that filter urban wastewater and houses woven from dried reeds that can be relocated within a day. These examples and many inspiring others are uncovered in our recently-arrived copy of a new Taschen publication.

Singapore hotels are open for staycation business.

What do the Tourism Board's new guidelines tell us about future hospitality design?

STUDIO NvS have recently been exploring projects in the mountainous west of China, but Kristian isn’t the only van Schaik fascinated by the region’s history and culture. Brother Sam is a world authority on the history of Tibet.

Deep green galleries contrast creamy classical busts. But is it a whitewash?