Planeco01
Planeco01
sossusvlei desert oasis
mapungubwe NP vembe dongola
eco-tourism residential institutional master planning other
mapungubwe national park facilities
In 2000 we designed various entrance gates, hides, walkways, camps, tented camps as well as picnic areas and viewpoints for Mapungubwe National Park for SANPARKS
sossusvlei desert camp
mapungubwe NP vembe dongola
eco-tourism residential institutional master planning other
mapungubwe national park facilities
In 2000 we designed various entrance gates, hides, walkways, camps, tented camps as well as picnic areas and viewpoints for Mapungubwe National Park for SANPARKS
mapungubwe national park
mapungubwe NP vembe dongola
eco-tourism residential institutional master planning other
mapungubwe national park facilities
In 2000 we designed various entrance gates, hides, walkways, camps, tented camps as well as picnic areas and viewpoints for Mapungubwe National Park for SANPARKS
marakele national park
marakele national park facilities
eco-tourism residential institutional master planning other
marakele national park facilities
Situated in the transitional zone between the dry western and moister eastern regions of South Africa, the Tswana name of this Park is fitting: Marakele means “sanctuary” and has become home to many wildlife species over the years.
At the time that the development took place; the intention was to not have any “conventional” restcamps in the Park. A tented lodge (called Tlopi) was built overlooking the Apiesrivierpoortdam, as a first phase.
The campsite and entrance gate facilities were therefore designed to have a “canvas character”. Combined with lightweight concrete flat roofs, the canvas roofs over passages and public areas hinted at the non-conventional facilities envisaged for the Park. The massive canvas roof over the entrance road would have posed a problem in heavy winds – more than half the surface area thereof was made of shade netting (which lets wind pass through), reflecting the silhouette of the Waterberg mountains behind it.
richtersveld national park wilderness camps
richtersveld transfrontier park wilderness camps
eco-tourism residential institutional master planning other
!Ais!Ais/richtersveld national park wilderness camps
Also called South Africa’s “mountain desert”, this arid Park is home to the Nama people. Traditionally pastoralists, they followed the rain with their herds of goat and sheep staying in igloo-like huts made of Wag-n-bietjie saplings. The framework of these huts is covered with “biesiematjies” when they are used, and remained behind when they moved on.
This age-old way of roofing inspired the design of the tourism facilities developed in the Park. Various interpretations thereof made for interesting structures. To make the mats waterproof (for the rare times that rain fell in this desert) they were painted with a waterproofing paint or covered with canvas.
Walls were either dry stack stone or reeds from the Gariep River, with a double layer being used with shade netting in between the layers. This keeps out insects and breaks the speed of the cold winter winds.
kgalagadi transfrontier park wilderness camps
kgalagadi TP wilderness camps
eco-tourism residential institutional master planning other
kgalagadi transfrontier park wilderness camps
The Kalahari Gemsbok Park and the Gemsbok National Park in Botswana were united to create the first functional Transfrontier Park 20 years ago. Mostly Kalahari sandveld, two rivers run through it, the Auob and the Nossob, which only flows during exceptionally wet seasons.
SANParks decided to diversify its tourism offering in 1999 by introducing wilderness camps. These 8 bed, unfenced camps looked after by an on-site ranger, became extremely popular and visitors now need to book a year in advance. They are placed in different biomes of the Park: Urikaruus is in the Auob riverbed (and therefore lifted off the ground to not hinder animal movement and safeguard guests); Gharagab overlooks the well-treed dunes of the north-western part of the Park; Grootkolk adjoins a pan adjacent to the Nossob River; Bitterpan overlooks a saltpan in the middleveld between the two rivers and Kieliekrankie is built into the top of a dune. The architectural styles of these camps are therefore all different, each one shaped to suit its particular environment.
kgalagadi transfrontier park tented camps
kgalagadi transfrontier park tented camps
eco-tourism residential institutional master planning other
kgalagadi transfrontier park wilderness camps
The Kalahari Gemsbok Park and the Gemsbok National Park in Botswana were united to create the first functional Transfrontier Park 20 years ago. Mostly Kalahari sandveld, two rivers run through it, the Auob and the Nossob, which only flows during exceptionally wet seasons.
SANParks decided to diversify its tourism offering in 1999 by introducing wilderness camps. These 8 bed, unfenced camps looked after by an on-site ranger, became extremely popular and visitors now need to book a year in advance. They are placed in different biomes of the Park: Urikaruus is in the Auob riverbed (and therefore lifted off the ground to not hinder animal movement and safeguard guests); Gharagab overlooks the well-treed dunes of the north-western part of the Park; Grootkolk adjoins a pan adjacent to the Nossob River; Bitterpan overlooks a saltpan in the middleveld between the two rivers and Kieliekrankie is built into the top of a dune. The architectural styles of these camps are therefore all different, each one shaped to suit its particular environment.
kgalagadi camp concessions
kgalagadi camp concessions
eco-tourism residential institutional master planning other
kgalagadi camp concessions
Designed for the harsh desert environment of the Kgalagadi area in Botswana.
reunion island tourism facilities
reunion island eden resort
eco-tourism residential institutional master planning other
Reunion Island Eden Resort
The team
This team consists of a unique combination of skills, all from the south of the globe that have developed very specific environmental and landscape awareness and skills to deal with developments that depend on nature as a core part of the product: ap architectures– Reunion based specialists on tropical Architecture and sustainable landscapes and slope management with a highly admired body of work in Reunion’s very specific climate and landscape.
C&C (PlanEco) – architecture without boundaries – South African based specialists in ecotourism and nature based developments in most of Southern Africa’s nature reserves as well as Culture and Nature based advisory services to international tourism destinations.
Their combined proven experience in these tourism-critical aspects has led to specific site based response to the brief. Their hands-on experience in engaging directly with the context, both environmental and cultural as well as the target market has led to the proposed concepts as a first response to the design challenge posed.
The project posed some extreme challenges with a specific list of requirements and high density on a steep “unfriendly” site away from the sea. At the same time the clearly expressed dream and wish of the client to be first whilst being responsible and sustainable, clearly resonated with this teams’ members, who all love working in nature.
Unique experience
This proposal exploits the location to its maximum providing an elevated, unimpeded view to the wide expanse of the ocean with more intimate and detailed glimpses of the village life internally. This will be greatly enhanced with dense re-forestation with the indigenous dry forest vegetation thus returning the slopes to the lush green cirques and ravines Reunion is world famous for.
To achieve this a different approach to vehicular access and zoning was taken:
- Safe and secure access directly into the existing village and to the new main boulevard of St Giles.
- Cars and main access is hidden from sight under a projecting water boulevard – built as a long “infinity” pool dropping into the ocean.
- Vehicles will be hidden from view (and in the shade below)
- We propose to remove the dangerous curved road in the south by elevating it over the link to the eco-park and expansion to the south of the road. This will also have the advantage of access to the two hills to the south, which will form a unique and dramatic view point destination overlooking the botanical gardens and eco-park to its north – ideal for sundowners and an outdoor night time entertainment zone.
- The accommodation will appear settled in the forest landscape and will be surrounded with greenery.
- Variety and cultural diversity is brought in through the different but related modern interpretations of tropical Island veranda houses, all linked via a new access “river boulevard” floating above the new access road
- Diverse but sustainable and characteristic materials will be used throughout; wood, stone, cooling, textured surfaces and open decks with shaded pergolas and outdoor patios to ensure a tropical lifestyle is available to the guests.
- Even the way tourists travel across the site needs to be diverse, via water channels on tubes, zip-lines and funicular as well as shaded pathways for pedestrians , cyclists and alternative electronic transport like skateboards and Sedgeway two-wheelers.
The project’s wow depends on integration of natural beauty with architectural expertise, the dramatic way you arrive at the resort – from below in a shaded driveway, thus saving the stunning views for their arrival at the centre-ville without any impediment of the ocean view over the infinity edge. Lastly the proposal of the indigenous landscape married to modern climate-responsive tropical structures will complete the dream of promoting a sense of well-being, détente and relaxation combined with healthy activity, both for Reunionnais and foreign visitors
vlakhoek wildlife estate
vlakhoek wildlife estate
eco-tourism residential institutional master planning other
Vlakhoek Wildlife Estate
The brief was to prepare an architectural language for a unique wildlife estate in the Rustenburg area. The site slopes towards the south, so all buildings and roofs are designed to be as un-intrusive as possible. A cut and fill approach was used, with a combination of sloped roofs and green roofs, allowing the landscape to engulf the structures and soften the visual impact.