Indonesia Design - Defining Luxury
Homage to Balinese and Majapahit Grand Heritage
One of the Indonesian renowned and awardwinning architects, Budiman Hendropurnomo has built his career over three decades with the Australian based Denton Corker Marshall (DCM) Jakarta and created some of the most notable architecture designs including the iconic EX in Plaza Indonesia, University of Indonesia’s Library, Binus University, Anantara Uluwatu, Maya Ubud and Maya Sanur Resort and Spa, Novotel Surabaya and Palembang, Alila Solo, and many others. In this magnificent Kempinski in Nusa Dua Bali, Budiman is not only creating a new resort but an architectural design masterpiece. Erza S.T. from Indonesia Design had the privilege to have a chat wth the architect himself during a quiet morning in his office in South Jakarta.
Indonesia Design(id): The Apurva Kempinski architectural design shows a strong connection between Bali traditional elements and Majapahit Kingdom. Why did you choose this particular kingdom era to inspire your design?
Budiman Hendropurnomo (BP): I collect Majapahit gold artefacts that show intricate and high technical craftsmanship from that era. That particular period represented the first civilisation during which red bricks became iconic as a standardised material in constructing buildings. Indeed, the era of Majapahit represented Indonesia’s golden age and I found their historic buildings and cultural traditions inspiring, full of soul and what’s more interesting is they can be applied to the modern architecture. These all had inspired me to create a modern Indonesian heritage concept for this hotel.
id: Can you tell us in brief the hotel’s overall architectural design concept?
BP: The Apurva Kempinski is my homage to Pura Besakih, a majestic temple which soars upwards above the clouds through grand ceremonial stairs. To achieve such a theatrical impression, I came up with an architectural composition where a series of flat green roofs cascades down the hillside. This
mirrors traditional Balinese rice terraces, gradually ascending towards the 55-metre elevation above the Indian Ocean. It’s a ‘stairway to heaven’ using natural clad stones on both sides, while water fountains cascade the whole journey down with clusters of matured solobium trees, frangipanis and lush tropical gardens covering both sides of the grand stairs.
To fulfil my design approach and objective for this resort, we use green large bougainvillea as roofs to cover the main large structure. This is in line with my architectural modern design approach on creating a sustainable green environment that incorporates natural landscaping and architectural elements; all integrated into one unique composition.
id: What was the main challenge in this project?
BP: The nature of the landscape was our main challenge as we had to do a cut and fill technique on the hill. The challenge was due to the hotel’s location and we had to shape it to fit the Balinese rice terraces concept. I applied my green landscape approach using the bougainvillea to create a natural landscape; hence, it looks like a natural hill just like it was before. The Apurva Kempinski is a huge all-suites hotel equipped with approximately 200 private swimming pools, carved into a rocky hillside. It was no easy task to create such a project, as the architecture and interior design details are intensive and require high-quality workmanship.
id: How about the approach in incorporating the essence of history and heritage to the resort? BP: The challenge is to choose the right inspiration that can fulfil this objective. This is why I chose to incorporate elements of ancient Balinese in order to create a grand resort that blends the modern style and Balinese architecture representing Indonesian heritage. In DCM, our modern principal approach is to create sustainable green designs. That approach is what we applied in creating The Apurva Kempinski. Furthermore, we had to pay attention to the detailed architecture and interior design, which required high quality workmanship. The result reflects the true meaning of Apurva. It is indeed a magnificent piece!