Header: Aaron Pocock
Singapore has long been known as a garden city, but its newest arrival, the Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree, takes that reputation into the heart of the wild. Designed by WOW Architects, this 338-key getaway sits right next to the Mandai Wildlife Reserve. Instead of a typical hotel that stands out from its surroundings, this project works to disappear into the trees, turning a former back-of-house zoo area into a living part of the jungle.
A building shaped like a forest vine
The look of the resort takes its cue from the Liana vine. Rather than one large block, the guest wings branch out and wind through the forest. By keeping the buildings between four and five storeys high, the architects ensured the resort stays below the top layer of the tree canopy. To keep the ground free for local animals to pass through, much of the structure is raised several metres into the air.
The site covers 4.6 hectares and was once used for zoo operations, but the construction team worked hard to keep over half the original trees. To make up for any lost greenery, they are planting twice as many new trees as were there before, focusing on native species that help local wildlife thrive.
Sleeping in seed pods and breezy rooms
The most talked-about part of the design is the collection of 24 treehouses. These are shaped like giant seed pods and tucked away among the existing branches, reached by high-up walkways or forest paths. Inside the main wings, the 314 rooms are built for open-air living.
The designers used sliding doors and large balconies to make the rooms feel like part of the outdoors. Inside, the bathrooms get plenty of natural light, and you can slide back panels to open the shower area up to the bedroom, making the whole space feel bigger. Local artists were also brought in to create murals and furniture that tell stories about the plants and animals found in the Mandai woods.
Singapore’s first super-low energy hotel
This resort is a serious piece of engineering that uses 40% less energy than a standard hotel. It is the first “super-low energy” hotel in the country. To do this, the team did away with air conditioning in the lobbies and hallways, relying instead on natural breezes.
In the treehouses, they used a system called Passive Displacement Ventilation. This tech moves chilled air around silently without the noisy compressors found in normal hotel rooms. Combined with solar panels on the roofs, the resort proves that you can offer luxury without a massive carbon footprint.
Luxury that gives back to the land
The Banyan Tree group is running the resort with a focus on looking after the planet. Everything from the way guests use water to the lack of a fixed building facade is meant to remind people that they are guests of the forest. The project was a massive team effort involving experts in acoustics, lighting, and ecology to ensure the noise and lights from the hotel don’t bother the animals living nearby.
The Mandai Rainforest Resort shows that modern travel doesn’t have to come at the cost of the environment. It is a place where visitors can swap the city’s concrete for a room in the canopy, leaving the land in better shape than they found it.
Project info
Location: Singapore
Completion date: 2017-2025
Client: Mandai Park Development Pte. Ltd.
Developer: Mandai Park Development Pte. Ltd.
Project team: Wow Architects | Warner Wong Design
Architects: Wow Architects
Interior Design: Warner Wong Design
Landscape Architecture & Ecology: Ramboll Pte. Ltd. and Hennning Larsen
Photography Credits: Aaron Pocock
Source: v2com newswire
