The Tiing Hotel, a resort Hotel in Bali, Indonesia, was designed by Australian architect Nic Brunsdon in collaboration with local Indonesian Hotel group Manguning. Situated on the northern coast of Bali, the Tiing has been designed as a ‘reward for the intrepid’. Understanding that this project would need a point of differentiation to pull people out of the well-worn tourist paths of southern Bali, the Tiing is a boutique resort embedded into its local and cultural context. Due to its remote location, the design deliberately leans on traditional materials and construction techniques, while providing a robust conceptual framework. Knowing that concrete is the preferred construction method of Bali and that bamboo is plentiful, a series of bamboo formed concrete walls were erected on-site to create in-between and inside conditions, framing the mountains and the sea.

The materiality of this project aims to work within the local context, construction techniques, resources, and climate; a rugged regionalism. Concrete and bamboo are abundant, so it was best to work with these materials throughout. In a tropical climate, a clean finish would require much maintenance, here, the material will weather in, enhancing the character of the architecture and place. Importantly, this also became the finishing. Expressing the texture and form of the bamboo as a negative impression in the patina of the concrete becomes this project’s motif.

Arriving at the Tiing is a process of 2.5hrs traversing winding roads through the lush Balinese landscape. Nic Brunsdon wanted something that would act as a distinct counterpoint to that all-consuming ‘green-ness’, so created a red public bathing pool. It is partially hidden in the entry sequence but acts as an energizing arrival moment in high contrast to the lush green jungle. Further, Nic Brunsdon paid attention to the height of the site and the way the water bodies of the pool and the ocean would layer against the horizon. The working strategy for this project is a reward for the intrepid’, and the central pool further serves to consolidate this.