Kwanari Ecolodge

Architecture

Castle Bruce, Dominica, West Indies

Kwanari Ecolodge is located on a bay a few kilometers north of Castle Bruce Village – eastern part of the Island of Dominica and facing the Atlantic Ocean. It is situated a few kms south of the ONLY native community (Kalinago) in the Caribbean.

HM Design (concept architect), with the help of local Architect Joff Greene has introduced a whole new style of architecture in the Caribbean: Forest Caribbean, which is a hybrid of the classic Caribbean architecture (with its intricate fretwork, balconies, dormer windows) and the ‘cabin in the woods’ (logs, stone, rustic, contextual design) architecture prevalent in North America. The built fabric and interior design celebrate the most striking quality of the site – the meeting of forest and sea. Every building has a theme that connects it with either the secondary forest or the Atlantic Ocean. The lodge treads lightly (all buildings are on stilts, down-lighting, boardwalks) respecting the sites topography, hydrology, flora and fauna allowing all natural systems to function and grow uninterrupted. The project will be a showcase for the crafts of the local communities and the Kalinago peoples themselves are constructing the mouinas (pavilions). The lodge was to open in the summer of 2018 but was partly destroyed by Super Hurricane Maria.

Gallery

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Awards & Media:

AWARDS: 

2022 –

Architects Association of Kenya’s (AAK) “Architectural Sustainability Design Award” 

2014 –

Florida American Society of Landscape Architect’s (FLASLA) ‘Planning and Analysis’ award

MEDIA:

BluPrint – Philippines