RUH

★ Finalist Best of the Year Interior Design Magazine 2018. On The Board – Commercial. New York, USA

Upon entering from an area of low lands with a small creek, visitors are submerged in a dense forest. The entrance itself will be kept as a natural reserve enhanced by a long, wooden hanging bridge that connects it with the next ‘cleft rock forest’, enabling visitors to walk amongst the treetops.

Continuing forward, visitors enter the second arena where the remains of slate production manifest themselves. A winding wooden staircase will aid visitors in the challenge of climbing through the steep cliffs. Then, a huge “Communal Platform” will appear, working as a flexible space hanging over the trees; a flat oasis on the edge of cliffs perfect for yoga classes and informal gatherings alike.

The geography now becomes more level, with a “Great Plateau” at the center of the plot: the flattest and highest land in the property. A circular wildflower meadow gives an enchanted charm to the area where the main communal building will be placed. The “Barn,” a reimagined version of archetypical wooden construction from the region, will offer a large, flexible space for events, meetings and community life.

Finally, two separate areas present several scattered retreats where guests will have the opportunity to live and connect with nature. Within the “hillside woods”, a dense forest with big trees and huge rocks, there is an existing trail that comes from the meadow and reaches the old quarry. From this path, guests can access the Villas. These retreats are a modern take on traditional ‘A’ frame structures we usually find in the forests, allowing us to experience a kind of rustic luxury.

At the same time, the ‘slope woods’ area features intense views to be explored. Here, several smaller retreats called ‘spin cabins’ are positioned independently. Given the topographical variation, no room looks upon another, providing guests with the sense of complete seclusion. Every cabin gets its own surprising view of a dramatic piece of landscape. The spin cabins are compact, but intense; they are the perfect shelters for contemporary explorers.

For most, the forest is understood as a place of enchantment, simultaneously representing a place of refuge and adventure. This is the essence of Ruh Landscape Hotel.

MAPA
Partners: Luciano Andrades, Matías Carballal, Andrés Gobba, Mauricio López, Silvio Machado.
Project Team: Pablo Courreges, Diego Morera, Emiliano Lago, Fabián Sarubbi, Sandra Rodríguez, Agustín Dieste, Sebastián Lambert, Marcos Gómara, João Bernardi, Helena Utzig, Lucas Marques, Débora Boniatti, Juliana Colombo.

Area: 11 ha.
Images: VULK