Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/1461738
BAL HARBOUR 205 XXX other guests. Everything seemed like it was designed for honeymooners. Our idea was to create more of a village with restaurants, art galleries and shopping, and to have people from other islands come and visit. Renata Furlanetto: From an architectural RGTURGEVKXGYGYCPVGFVJGƂTUVKORTGUUKQP to be the nature and beauty of the island— not a structure. We wanted to use materials like coral stone, thatched roofs, wooden ceilings, and other elements from the local vernacular. We wanted to blend in more than stand out. MK: Oscar Niemeyer has a famous quote along the lines of, "Architecture is not important. What is important is life, friends and family." That was in our heads. When you're on the beach, you can't see anything but a small, tropical forest. We obviously couldn't completely hide the over-water villas, but we made them with lots of glass. When I was a kid, I used to go to the beach near São Paolo; I loved that everything was hidden behind a strip of nature. What does it feel like to be at the resort? RF: The building process was crazy for us. The fact that the island was just nature meant that it was a blank canvas, but also very challenging as we had to bring GXGT[VJKPIKPCPFDGGZVTGOGN[GHƂEKGPV We prefabricated a lot and assembled it there, and then tried to limit the amount of construction waste and also the impact on the natural environment. All of this was done TGOQVGN[UQVJGƂTUVVKOGYGCNNUCYVJG resort ourselves was in early December of last year. MK: Yes, when we got there, it was like being inside our rendering. We were very happy with the quality of the construction— it was at the same level as one of our homes. We were also happy with the fact that we actually saw people on the property interacting with each other. What are some of your favorite aspects of the property? MK: The Turrell piece. It was bought URGEKƂECNN[HQTVJGUKVGCPFFGUKIPGFYKVJKPC wood structure. It's almost like a magic box. RF: Yes, the Turrell is seemingly so simple, but there's a lot of technology. There's a hole in the roof, too, and you don't know if it's a painting or the sky. The room is also used for yoga classes and can be a meditation temple. MK: And then there's the food. It's not your average resort food—it's top-quality. We're proud of the architecture, but it's the whole experience of being on the property that makes it so special. The over-water villas are strung NKMGƃQCVKPIRQFU'CEJHGCVWTGU expansive windows to connect with CPFTGƃGEVVJGUGC