12:30 AM
Kirsten
Once again, The Walt Disney Company has yet another huge project underway. Their newest resort is Disney's Aulani Resort and Spa located on Ko Olina, Hawaii. Disney broke ground on this resort in November of 2008 and it is scheduled to open in August of 2011. This magnificent property will have 360 hotel rooms and 481 two-bedroom Disney Vacation Club Villas. The Aulani will be located nearby historical sites on the Western side of O'ahu. The resort will be on 21 acres of oceanfront property in the Ko Olina and Marina Development. Along with the beautiful scenery of Hawaii, the Aulani will feel like a home away from home with all the activities the designers have planned for such as: pools and sunset-facing hot tubs, a snorkeling lagoon, a variety of kids’ club and other play programs for children, and a river, suitable for tube floating, running through a specially created volcanic outcropping. The resort will also include and 18,000 square foot spa area and a 14,545 square foot conference center. There will be an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Ted Robinson.
Joe Rohde was named the chief designer of The Aulani after rising through Disney's creative "Imagineering" division. Rohde tells us his vision for the resort, "The physical layout of the hotel and time-share complex was designed to create an impression of an ahupuaa, or mountain-to-sea land division. The project's two towers represent mountain ridges on either side of a valley filled with water flowing from make-believe springs and rivers into fishponds and pools, and seemingly into the Pacific Ocean."
With so many activities for the whole family, the resort is being designed to respect and connect with the local culture of the Hawaiian islands. The Walt Disney Imagineering team has been researching Hawaii and working with local architects and cultural experts as part of the resort’s creative design process. The resulting design is a village celebrating the Hawaiian customs and traditions that lead to a life filled with joy and in harmony with the natural world. To incorporate Hawaiian traditions, cultural programming in the areas of environmental education, music, dance, history, and arts and crafts; a story-driven, technology-enabled adventure game; and other surprises come together to create a Hawaiian destination that’s uniquely Disney. Additionally, Hawaii’s aloha spirit will influence the many intricate details for which Disney resorts are famous, with stories woven into the architecture, interiors, art, graphics and three planned signature gardens all brought to life through carefully selected colors, patterns, materials and forms.
A few of the materials that will be represented on the property will be: wood, thatch, lava stone and coral that can be found in the resort’s two 15-story guestroom towers, each oriented perpendicular to the ocean to maximize ocean views from the strategically angled guest rooms. Façade murals will add to the distinctive look of each tower and will begin to portray some of the stories and legends of the islands. At the heart of the resort, an open-air lobby building dubbed Hale Aloha will draw its design inspiration from a traditional Hawaiian canoe house, visually connecting families to the sea and beyond. Window designs, wall graphics and other details will welcome families with tales of adventure, myth, legend and more, while twin streams flow through the building before uniting as a single cascade into the center garden below.
The Disney Resort and Spa is where ancient meets modern through natural beauty and sophisticated elegance. In the lobby, a large volcanic rock passes from the outside to inside through the glass wall. With such special detail nature can be seen throughout, featuring volcanic stone columns that outline the hallway, pieces of art suspended in the peaks of lava rock that rises from the floor in the lobby, and beautiful use of wood. Pools of water cross through the lobby, one serene and filled with lilies, the other wild and rocky, rushing out toward the sea.Torch lights and beautiful bowl lamps bring a warm tone to the interiors.
This one of a kind Disney Resort will bring in many people from around the world and locals that will cherish and embrace the unique design and culture the designers have carefully and thoughtfully put together for all their guests to enjoy!
Resources:
Most of the information I got internally
Pictures:
Posts
7 comments:
I love the warm colors used in the bedrooms, which creates a very inviting atmosphere. That's also really cool how the design team did research into Hawaiian traditions to make the resort look like a perfect mixture of Hawaii and Disney!
I cannot wait for this project to be done so we can visit. They have a very interesting concept. I love the concept of the big volcanic rock that passes from the outside to the inside. I wish there were more info about the lava stones and coral that they'll use. Good choice for case study!
A great write up on the resort and nice overview of the concept and design features. If you have a link to your research or an article - please post that too!
I love the warm colors, it really captures that feeling of relaxation!
The Hale Aloha is amazing! I wanna visit there in the near future!
the resort is beautiful! i love all the foliage in the resort. I wish I could visit it.
I think i would fall in love with almost anything Disney related, the resort looks fantastic, and I like the choice of words describing it...
yet another place to dream about visiting!
Uggghh another reason why I hate being a poor student, Maybe I should work at disney again and get a castmember discount. I have stayed at a couple of Disney resort hotels and this takes the bacon! Disney Design, has always followed ADA and has been able to produce wonderful family experinces for all! This is now on my list of places to stay at when I venture to Hawai'i as the sign states! Great job!
Post a Comment