Trend Commercial Design Magazine, 2005

Enshrined
Dramatic architecture and picture-book landscaping make a fairytale setting for couples saying “I do” in Bali.

Architect by Ground Kent Architect Indonesia | Interior Design by Ratina Mugiono | Landscape Design by Made Wijaya |
Photography by Gil Hanly And John Chisholm

Traditional Balinese temple gates enhance a sense of arrival at the Tirtha Uluwatu wedding resort in southern Bali. Designed by Grounds Kent Architects, the resort is aimed at the Japanese wedding market. The lush, tropical landscaping incorporates courtyards and pathways leading to a large cliff-top pool, where the wedding chapel is situated.

It’s not every day that architects are asked to improve on paradise. And a cliff-top setting on Bali – the Island of the Gods – comes close to the vision many of us have of utopia.

Bridges across water gardens add a romantic air and provide plenty of photo opportunities.

Platforms and pathways, which appear to float, extend from open-air pavilions at the edge of the pool.

But for architect Glenn Parker and landscape designer Made Wijaya, that was exactly the brief from property owners Koji Koreyasu and Yuka Nishizawa. The couple wanted to create a wedding venue in an unrivalled setting on a cliff-top high above the Indian Ocean. The Tirtha Uluwatu resort is aimed at Japanese couples who frequently travel to exotic locations for their weddings.

“ Bali is such a dream destination for these couples and we wanted to create a fantasy venue that would make that dream a once in a lifetime experience,” says Nishizawa.

Parker says creating a very dramatic venue was a key part of the design brief. The 6000m2 resort also needed to convey traditional Balinese elements, but have a contemporary aesthetic.

Central to the design was the owners’ desire to create a sense of journey for the wedding couples, which would culminate with a ceremony in a spectacular chapel.

As a consequence, the resort is laid out in a Balinese style, with interlocking courtyards, paths, pools, a Jawa-Bali decorative gate in a wedding court and 15 pavilion near the entrance.

“With its thatched roof and carved columns, this is a very traditional pavilion, typical of the main living area in a Balinese-style property,” says Parker. “Here, it serves as a wedding preparation area.” The centerpiece of the resort is a dazzling, A-line structure of white steel, glass and triangular Teflon sails, that appears to float in a large pool on the the edge of the cliff.

“The chapel or atrium is a little like a folly,”says Parker. “It needed to be identifiably different to the other buildings on the site, hence its modern structure and the suggestion of a floating pavilion. It’s location at the edge of the cliff also heightens the sense of journey and arrival.”

The wedding party enters the chapel via a raised, floating pathway across the pool. A separate diamond-shaped bridge provides access for perform in a second A-shaped pavilion in front of the chapel.

“Tirtha means holy water, which is another reason for the setting,” says Parker. “The design was also influenced by the old palaces around Bali and Java, which were built around moats and ponds. The setting itself provides a sense of prominence and significance.”

The air-conditioned chapel can seat 40 guests and has standing room for another 20. With its raised wedding podium and altar, and the vast horizon of the ocean as a backdrop, the entire atrium creates an illusion of infinity, say the owners.
Throughout the venue, courtyards and pavilions are sited to allow corridor views to the ocean. They are also designed to provide plenty of photo opportunities.

In contrast to the traditionally styled buildings, the chapel is a modern pavilion made from glass, white steel and Teflon fabric. The first structure provides a stage for traditional Balinese musicians. The architect says the chapel is like a folly, but was also influenced by traditional Bali palaces.
The soaring roof of the chapel heightens its significance. From the entrance, visitors can see the pool’s edge, the ocean and the horizon line, adding to the illusion of infinity	At night, both the pools and the chapel are lif from within, creating striking reflections. Landscaping, which includes water gardens and large planters. Courtyards feature white pavers with grass grouting.

Parker says that while the other pavilions and courtyards are Balinese in their sense of scale, they also have a Japanese ions and courtyards are Balinese in their sense of scale, they also have a Japanese influence, with their timber roofs and unadorned columns. These pavilions are staggered over different levels, and include a guest club lounge and deck for relatives and guests, five spacious, private day-room suites and three formal, private dining rooms that each seat 12 people. Another romantic, open-air dining pavilion is available for either sit-down or cocktail functions. There is also an outdoor designer Made Wijaya include water gardens, statuary and mature trees set in islands within larger pools. Lush foliage will eventually soften the edges of these islands, creating a more natural look.
White pavers were specified to complement the chapel architecture and the coastal setting. In the courtyards, smaller pavers are laid with the lawns.
Shrines, statues, decorative planters and fountains further enhance the traditional Balinese feel.

The large,cliff-top pool accommodating the chapel is a visual reference to the name of the venue: Tirtha means Holy Water.