Accommodation Special: Eco-Lodge 2050

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Issue 27

We challenged CC Africa, one of the continent's most innovative safari operators, to look into the future and devise the ultimate environmentally- friendly safari lodge. Architects Nick Plewman and Sylvie Vantillard sought inspiration in the humble o The concept of wilderness in 2050 is to us almost unimaginably scary. Measured by today's rates of decline true wilderness will, if it exists at all, have been reduced to isolated pockets scattered across the globe; just vestiges of the great biomes. If not imposed by strict law then the moral imperative for absolute environmental sensitivity will be forbidding. While technical advances in the development of materials will expand our architectural range, the calling for an eco-lodge to use sustainable natural materials will be driven all the more by the occupants' need for tactile and aesthetic connectivity with the earth, as well as an incentive for resource protection. In 2050, an eco-lodge will have to both acknowledge and defend the fragility of existence. It will give expression to the interconnectedness and vulnerability of life. The Finnish architect Juhani Palasmaa stated: "I cannot imagine any other desirable view of the future than an ecologically-adapted form of life where architecture returns to early functionalist ideals derived from biology... It must become more primitive and more refined at the same time." No ecosystem can survive unaffected by the presence of an observer. And so the ultimate ecological imperative for Eco-Lodge 2050 will be the ability to withdraw before such time and leave nothing behind that will not sink harmlessly back into the earth. · Instead of clumsily opening and closing doors to communicate with nature our design has a singular premise - that rooms should unfold and enclose, opening like a flower or a mollusc to expose the inhabitant to nature or close over them in protection from its elements. · The most innovative feature is the roof. Two ‘leaves' form an elliptic carapace, one of which rolls or folds back beneath the other. Developing this concept, we took two orange skin quarters and pinned them together at each end so that one skin rolled over the other. · Inspired by the nomads of northern Kenya we imagined fabric drawn over a frame or armature and pulled into tension in a classic bow shape. The two ends are pinioned into a simple rocker or pivot. The back ‘shell' is fixed and its covering would ideally be thatch grass. The moving front shell would be a transparent fabric, perhaps from a technology yet to evolve. · The design would maximize passive climate control and minimize energy consumption. Our fabric might be a skin of solar cells. Sewerage is in itself not unnatural and the technology for its safe release into the environment already exists and need only be refined. It goes without saying that all solid non- biodegradable waste would be removed. · Eco-Lodge 2050 will have to be nomadic, capable of being inserted into wilderness and then withdrawn leaving only that which is quickly biodegrable. It will have to combine ancient and cutting-edge technology, as well as sustainable natural materials. · A typical room would comprise a curvilinear wall of rammed earth which gives the building a back, defines space and axis and curls round to give the bathroom privacy. Typically of CC Africa lodges, the bed is the nucleus with space behind for luggage leaving the view and living space unimpeded. CC Africa, www.ccafrica.com, is one of the continent's leading ecotourism organisations, with 30 luxurious lodges in South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana, plus a mobile safari operation with a strong focus on guided and walking safaris. Between them, South African architects, Nick Plewman and Sylvie Vantillard have worked on several lodges for CC Africa, including Sandibe and Nxabega in Botswana, Pioneer Camp and Ngala Tented Safari Camp in South Africa, Kichwa Tembo Bateleur Camp in Kenya, Lake Manyara Tree Lodge in Tanzania and, most recently, Kwandwe Ecca Lodge in the Eastern Cape. GENTLY DOES IT If 2050 sounds a long time to wait, you'll be glad to learn that Africa already excels in eco-sensitive accommodation. From the plethora available, here are two eco-lodges that are kind to two very different environments. ADRÈRE AMELLAL ECOLODGE Siwa, Egypt, www.touregypt.net Meaning ‘white mountain' in Siwa, Adrére Amellal consists of several traditional kershef houses that have been restored using simple local materials. Kershef, a mixture of sun-dried salt rock mixed with straw, has been used for the walls, while furniture is made from palm trunks and fronds. Adrere Amellal has stunning views over Lake Siwa to the oasis and the Great Sand Sea beyond. The lodge also has its own natural spring and organic garden CHUMBE ISLAND LODGE Zanzibar, Tanzania, www.chumbeisland.com Chumbe Island is located 12km south of Zanzibar Town. Each of its eight thatched bungalows has a funnel-shaped roof, perfect for collecting rainwater, while used water is filtered through special plant beds to ensure that no pollutants seep into the island's surrounding coral reef sanctuary. Chumbe also has composting toilets, solar panels and an open design that allows for ‘natural air-conditioning'.

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