Watch: Wellness at the heart of designing Soori Bali

Soo K. Chan shares with Kohler the process behind harmonising nature and culture with the award-winning resort

Soo K. Chan, renowned architect based in Singapore and the founding principal and design director of SCDA Architects Pte Ltd, shares with Kohler the concept behind luxurious Soori Bali and how wellness has been integrated into his hotel designs.  

According to Chan, the hotel unfolded through inspiration from the Bali principles of Tri Hita Karana, which stresses harmony with God, harmony among people, and harmony with nature. 

By seeking the clues and cues from the land itself, observing the rhythm of life in Bali, and intertwining the hotel with the community, Chan was able to fully integrate the idea of wellness into his design.  

“When you bring in the community, respect the culture, use materials from the land, and tap into the energy of the place, the site planning falls in place in terms of harmony and design,” he said.  

At the heart of designing Soori Bali, the hotel embodies the notion of returning to someone’s home. This places prominence on wellness, the core of every aspect in the hotel, as to how the spa was modelled to represent a place of “resurrection”. 

“Soori Bali will embrace the spirit of our times, serve a bigger agenda for a new hotel concept that promotes wellness and harmony with our environment”, Chan added.  

Chan firmly credits bathrooms as an essential part of a resort, as “slowness” is the reason visitors stay at a hotel. Thus, bathroom designs and equipment need to be well selected, fulfilling the purpose with the economy and simultaneously enhancing customer experience.  

Kohler, a prolonged platinum sponsor for PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards, helped Chan attain the exact hardware to enrich consumer touchpoints and harmonise the overall intent of the design.  

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Chan concludes by emphasising the idea that authenticity is the new luxury. He describes his viewpoint of authenticity as distilling elements through its essence, without over embellishing design with economic means. Materials need to be extracted in the correct way, while also remembering to integrate craft and culture into the space.  

“To design a hotel that taps into wellness, you must be sensitive enough to feel the energy of the land,” said Chan. “I think for designers to be able to control the holistic aspects of the design, they must harness all the elements of the site and the conditions of culture to create a very sensitive resort.”