HM Design was the lead consultant, landscape architect, co-Architect and led a local team that provided Conceptual to Design Development services for the expansion and eco-reconversion of existing facilities. Before the renovation, the existing rustic lodge was in a dilapidated state with no site planning or planting design. An extreme makeover transformed it from a 2-star, 5-villa property to one that is 4-star rated with 12 safari tents. The new master plan includes upgraded accommodations, renovated existing villas, entrance arrival experience, re-furbished and expanded main building, interpretation center, swimming pool etc. The Site Plan borrows from vernacular Maasai manyatta (homesteads) and the whole concept was for minimal landscaping and to very lightly place each building and pathway into the landscape. Not one single tree or large shrub was cut, and every new structure was painstakingly placed onto the landscape to respect the sites topography, hydrology, visual corridors, flora and fauna allowing for all-natural systems to function and grow uninterrupted. Only native plant species from the region were planted to create an authentic experience. Click on slideshow below to see how a detailed holistic analysis, planning and design process leads to a National Geographic recognition.