The wellness retreat set to make waves in the Australian event industry
Wellbeing and sustainability are sweeping through C-suites around the world as the key trends for enhancing corporate reputations, high-value worker recruitment and retention, and business productivity.
To ensure the executives of today are positioned to drive decision-making tomorrow, informed by people, planet and profit, a group of thought-leaders have come together to design, develop and deliver a ground-breaking retreat experience in the magnificent Whitsundays region (part of the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef) in far North Queensland.
Leveraging the forces of nature and the innate biophilic connection of humans to the beauty and diversity of the living world, Tree of Life Retreat creates a place for private guests and executives to learn how to reset, relax, replenish, restore and re-ignite their bodies, minds, and spirits.
The physical manifestation of these leading-edge wellness concepts is a built form designed from first principles for a harmonious connection to the superb natural surroundings.
Located directly on the beach at Hydeaway Bay, the Retreat will comprise ten ocean view luxury cabanas, eight tree houses, an expansive wellness pavilion, and a comprehensive learning and experience centre.
This is complimented by thoughtfully conceptualised areas for adventure sports, creative art, and craft-based activities and nature immersion.
Trans-Tasman interdisciplinary architecture practice, Ignite Architects, has been engaged to create the masterplan, and detailed built form designs for the project, which is being developed by Malcolm Dunn, founder and managing director of Healthy Minds at Work and Adjunct Professor/Director of Coaching and Mentoring at the University of Sydney.
“Through natural light, access to the ocean and embedded in greenery, the wellness architecture helps executives reflect and relate, which enables them to contemplate and lead healthy corporate and lifestyle communities back in their everyday worlds,” Dunn explains.
The design embraces the existing landscape and has been carefully considered to minimise the footprint of the retreat’s structures to touch the ground lightly.
A natural watercourse flowing through the site, native forest areas and the beachfront with its views across the Coral Sea and reef are interwoven elements within the site, exemplifying the holistic approach to the human-nature connection embedded into the Retreat’s programs and amenities.
Another fundamental underpinning the Retreat is an appreciation of Indigenous belief systems and culture, and a focus on enriching the inner lives of guests through experiencing the cultural richness of ancient nature-based world-views.
“Through thoughtful placemaking strategies, we’ve brought to life Malcolm’s desire to combine western cognitive knowledge and science, with eastern belief systems and indigenous wisdom,” Ignite Director, Jason Marriott, says.
The design of the cabanas and treehouses maximises the nature immersion experience while also exemplifying best-practice sustainable design and delivery methodologies.
Jason says he was determined to strike precisely the right balance between ‘glamping’ in nature and more traditional boutique spa/resort-style accommodation.
Each guest accommodation structure features open louvered walls set within a skeletal steel structure with transparent ceilings, over which floats a canvas awning shade sail.
Inhabitants will experience uplifting views into the tree canopy and the ever-changing sky, including the blazing stars of the unpolluted night sky.
The open form bathroom modules enhance the overall biophilic tone, with glass ceilings and fixtures that will mirror the feeling of being inside a waterfall.
“We’ve deployed canvas sails to sit atop transparent ceilings,” Jason explains.
“This approach enabled guests to control comfort conditions, while they enjoy expansive views of the sky and treetops — all year round.”
To ensure privacy for each guest, rammed earth screen walls will be utilised to preserve the sanctuary of each cabana, while still allowing the free flow of natural cooling breezes and ensuring each suite retains an unobstructed view line to the Coral Sea.
The open-air Wellness Pavilion designed for activities including meditation and yoga extends outwards over a billabong and features a waterfall to add the calming and soothing soundscape of moving water to the experience.
The emphasis on treading lightly extends to the planned delivery, with off-site fabrication specified to minimise waste and site impacts. Materials also continue this earth-friendly focus, with a palette of 100 percent recyclable elements including lightweight steel, glass, timber, and fabric.
Having previously been involved in the design, development, procurement, and manufacture of modular buildings for remote and sensitive natural settings, Jason knew modular off-site construction was the best approach for Tree of Life Whitsundays.
“By manufacturing the Cabanas off-site in a controlled environment we can better control quality and environmental site impacts,” he says.
“Then by craning in the cabanas, we’ll be able to accurately position each of them to guarantee the best sight lines.
“By removing the need for the excavators and other heavy machinery demanded by more conventional construction techniques, we’re minimising the impact on the local environment — a respectful approach both Malcolm and my team wish to encourage.”
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
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