Residential

WAVE resort is a family-friendly hotel built on almost 50K m2 on the Black Sea coast. It is primarily an all inclusive summer hotel, but also promotes wellness, health, and congress tourism. Set within generously spacious grounds, WAVE resort stands out among other Bulgarian Black Sea hotel complexes. The investors have dedicated two thirds of the plot to attractions and open areas in order to ensure a more sustainable business model.

The main building is strategically positioned to block traffic noise from the road nearby and to preserve as much of the outdoor grounds as possible. Guests are able to enjoy the wonderful sea views from all of the rooms, restaurants, lobby, and the spa centre. The lobby has a panoramic terrace overlooking the iconic fountains and gardens, which smoothly blend into the sea view. The swimming pools are located away from the sleeping premises and in favour of reducing noise and ultimate comfort, the water areas are divided in separate zones: children, teenagers, families and adults-only relaxation zone. The complex has its own aqua park, a children’s club, and an amphitheatre, all housed in different buildings. A beautifully landscaped garden with local flora is locked between the outdoor activities zone and the beach.

The aim of the design was to avoid the usual trappings that can be seen in all-inclusive hotels of crowding large numbers of people in common areas, restaurants, and pools by providing an possibilities of being able to maintain the guests’ private space. Over 800 sunbeds are positioned around the curved outline of the pool and in order to achieve privacy they are being divided in smaller groups by green separation walls. The restaurant and the terrace are separated by stone walls, purposefully directing the eye towards the picturesque display.

All 426 rooms, flats, and penthouses overlook the sea. The rooms on the ground floor have access to their own small private pools. The complex also has five restaurants, four of which are themed. The spa centre and indoor pool cover an area of 2,500 m² and  there is also a 400-seat conference hall which can be divided into two smaller halls depending on the event. Common areas feature large windows and glass partitions, making them bright and airy; green park areas discreetly separate the wellness areas from the people flow.

Regarding the design brief, the investors’ aim was to achieve an intriguing modern look which at the same time should not be too extreme and extravagant in order for the guests to be able to relate to it, rather than be intimidated. To achieve that we have designed a hybrid: both contemporary and up to date with the trends, as well as replying on classical approaches which have been established as timeless and people can recognise. The symmetry and the palace outlines were purposefully designed with this concept in mind. Another classical feature is the ratio between the high solid common area floors, and the lighter lower levels. The hotels’ two-storey base is clad with large sand-coloured limestone, often found in the Black Sea coastal area. The higher floors are designed to echo water surfaces. Their shape is also a nod to the style of the first hotels that were built on the Black sea- modernism.

The facade of the entrance and the lobby were of high importance due to being the initial and primary source of impression upon arrival. The massive glazed entrance doors welcome the guests to a large atrium, extending up above the entire six levels. On the front facade on either side, there are large plant pots which are laid out like a chessboard.

Three design studios worked on the interior design of the hotel – Studio MODE on the lobby, Esta Design Studio on the rooms and corridors, and Home Basic on the restaurants, spa centre, and conference halls. The landscaping was by PalmArt.

The project is located in a suburban residential area near the seasidewith low-rise buildings. The plot was formerly used as a filling station, but its attractive features – good location and access, slightly sloping land facing south and the beautiful view of the sea, make it suitable for  residential building.

The plot has a triangular form and the building is situated on the widest part, pointing south, so the frontage of the building has a sea view. The garden comprises two areas – the northern one is used for parking and the southern as a recreational space for the residents with a pool and a roof with natural greenery on top of the underground garage.

The main concept of the building is to take maximum advantage of the sea view, so in all apartments large windows in the living area look out to the sea  and along the southern facade there are terraces with glass railings. The other facades, which face the streets and the neighboring buildings, have smaller windows. Careful thought has been given to the appearance of the apartments. The different functions of the rooms  (bedrooms, bathrooms and stairs) determine the different sizes of the windows. Thus, along with the pattern of the facade cladding, the use of different elements rotated  90° against each other, creates the distinctive appearance of the building. Materials used are HPL plates by Trespa and plaster.

The Developer’s intention was to build a complex of suburban residential units for young families who value the natural way of living, but at the same time do not want to deprive themselves of amenities. It is intended that some of the residential units are rented out. The assignment included 4 types of single-family houses, a farm for organic vegetables, a tennis court and a service building with a restaurant and an indoor pool. There was a special requirement for the most cost-effective vehicle access inside the plot and for providing an option for the restaurant to be open to non-residents.

We divided the plot into two – a residential and a public part. In the western part of the plot we situated all the family houses organized in 5 rows: thanks to to the  steepness of the slope, every house has been provided with a beautiful view of the valley and an almost private green area in front of its veranda.

An asphalt road along the northern and western boundaries provides access by car and serves both the housing and the bio-farm in the lowest part of the plot. This solution, besides being the most economically feasible, leads to turning the inner part of the complex into a car free zone which makes it safer, especially for children.

The eastern part of the plot was left entirely as a park. The reception and the restaurant are located at the highest level of the plot next to the road so they can be used by non-residents. Our idea was to turn the park into the core of the complex by creating numerous, nature-friendly activities so inhabitants could meet each other and spend time with their children. In the area furthest from the residential area we placed 5 barbecue shelters that can be rented out for private parties.

The children’s area is also in harmony with nature. A series of slides were integrated into the natural slope so the children are able to slide from the top level to the lowest one while being accompanied by their parents who could use the parallel stairs. A labyrinth of specially trimmed bushes and a shallow lake with waterfalls are also part of the children’s activities. A special  network of paths enables each point of the complex to be reached by bike or by mothers with baby strollers.

„Simeonovo 154” is a building complex which consists of two buildings with 11 apartments in total, as well as an underground parking that is connected to the street through a ramp. The complex is located in the foothills of Vitosha mountain. Despite having a picturesque scenery towards the city of Sofia it is also a part of this view when looked from higher up in the mountain. Therefore the architectural approach is highly focused on the design of the roofs, in order to create a united vision with the rest of the building, making it the fifth facade.

The material used for the facade is dark red clinker, as well as “Swisspearl” fibre cement cladding, which will be applied to the walls and to the pitched roofs. Unfortunately, the standart roof system suggested by “Swisspearl” had never been used in Bulgaria and it turned out to be impossible to find a party capable of doing it. This obstacle meant that a technical detail with well known building systems had to be applied, all of which in order to stick to the investor’s needs and uses of the complex, without changing the design. The aforementioned was provided by E- arch studio and completed by AKMI.

In order to achieve water tightness on the roof, a roofing polyurethane panel with a thickness of 120 mm is mounted on top of the reinforced concrete slab. Aluminium profiles are added on the ribs of the panel to support the exceptional “Swisspearl” fibre cement slabs. Some of their characteristics are the high level of fire resistance (A2-s1, d0), completely resistant to frost and totally recyclable. The drainage system is secured by aluminium gutters that are hidden in the fibre cement, surrounded by 2mm metal sheets, followed by PVC pipes.