Luna Beach Club, designed by Inspiral Architecture and Design Studio, sits on a Balinese
cliffside, as a standout destination for events, dining, performance, and the arts, where an array of bio-conscious structures create a vibrant and exploratory atmosphere.
Project Name: Luna Beach Club
Studio Name: Inspiral Architecture and Design Studios
Completion Year: 1 March 2024
Site Area (m2/ ft2): 17000sqm2
Total Floor Area (m2 / ft2 ): 7500sqm2
Project Location:Nyanyi Beach, Tabanan, Bali
Project Owner: James Karl Ephraim
Project CEO: James Karl Ephraim
Lead Architects: Charlie Hearn
Architectural Design Team: Laura R. Tika, Iqbal Ziaul Haq, Rahman Akbar Sayekti,
Interior Design Team: Oktanto, Aileen Ivena, I Nyoman Bagus Sakhapradnya
Structural Team: Ratmo Guna Susilo, I Putu Chandra Sajana, Nyoman Marga, Wayan Adi Suantara
Photo Credits: Inspiral Architecture and Design Studios, Luna Beach Club Bali, Nuanu City,
CQA Bali
The architectural design showcases a series of innovative structures inspired by nature, strategically arranged to promote seamless flow and interaction within the property following Fibonacci sequences. This new otherworldly venue features a series of groundbreaking naturally inspired buildings that form the benchmark project for ‘Nuanu City’ a new town community based on education, sustainability, and the arts.
Conceived according to Fibonacci sequences that connect flow and movement throughout the property, the main pavilion which appears as a vortex-like structure which serves as the main indoor gathering area, covered with spiraling layers of woven shades to keep the interior comfortably cool and bright during the daytime and ecstatically illuminated at
night.
Surrounding this are interlocking pools that journey to an organic underground cavern, elevated bamboo pods with nets and tunnels, artisanal social hubs, a timber lighthouse tower, giant sculptures, and an iconic ceremonial building. Nestled in a tranquil corner is ‘Elysium,’ a sanctuary tailored for ceremonial events such as meditation, weddings, and yoga. Constructed using lightweight sandwich panels with geometric patterns that filter natural light, this structure fosters a sense of harmony and connectivity with the environment. Interwoven among these architectural marvels are enchanting gardens, monumental art pieces, and captivating mini-venues, all strategically designed to evoke curiosity and exploration throughout the whole site.
The brief was to design an iconic and highly playful destination that could cater to events,
festivals, shows, exhibitions, and daily gatherings while maintaining the existing site context with its specific vegetation, microclimate, and topography. The facilities requirement was an open brief with several workshops to decide what attractions would be introduced. The engagement was to ensure that the architecture was experiential, creating destinations within the overall destination. The positions and forms of these buildings were then set out using intersections from key points across the site based on the golden section which was a key client request.
With sustainability and inventiveness as one of the core values, the buildings are designed with biomimetic forms and natural ventilation systems, but also by using a range of low carbon footprint materials. The bamboo vortex structure was built by local artisans who although well versed, was the first time they had built anything with such intricacy and with new types of structural and roof systems.
As a major challenge, extensive prototyping and reworking were required. A similar challenge could be found using composite SIP panels. Even our in-house engineers who have been part of the R&D process for a number of years, had to work in new ways to ensure this was a safe and reliable way of building.
To make things more challenging, a key design feature in the ceremonial building is a clear unbroken 20m long gap between the two halves of the building where the only connection is glass, a system never before attempted in Indonesia. This required extensive snagging on site to ensure the geometry was accurate, otherwise resulting in possible failure. Elsewhere, materials included rammed earth, natural local stone, green roofs, recycled timber, rainwater capturing, and lime renders.
With such complex geometry used throughout combined with forward-thinking ecologically friendly materials, there was a huge degree of research and design that had to be explored in a short amount of time. This requires a lot of energy in testing, prototyping, creating confidence for both clients and contractors and training construction teams to be able to learn a number of new building techniques along with providing extensive quality control needed to be able to deliver this, all exacerbated in a developing country.
In doing so we managed to create the world’s first building to use a combined bamboo and basalt structural system. This can be seen in the vortex buildings’, double curvature structure, again something not previously achieved on such a large scale. The translucent roof material was also the first time used extensively as a membrane system.
In the same way, the use of lightweight, composite SIP panels seen in the cave pool and the ceremonial building has also barely been used in Indonesia, and not previously used anywhere for that matter in organic-shaped structures. The efficiency of prefabrication, high insulation, and low carbon footprint required to produce made this a great alternative to concrete and steel.
Through our own previous experience of developing this building method, we were able to push the boundaries of its usage and also form a unique type of system which used recyclable and recycled EPS combined with structural polymer renders that incorporated recycled polypropylene reinforcement.
