Turneffe, an atoll which lies 26 miles east of Belize City, is a naturally ocurring island surrounded by a coral reef. These are the preliminary designs for a dive resort with 12 private cabanas, restaraunt, offices, dive shop, manager’s quarters and support & staff buildings. The cabanas are placed over the water on wooden piles in order to decrease insect inhabitation and promote natural cooling through convection from the water. Due to its remoteness, and the client’s desire to protect the ecological balance of the island, all of the buildings are designed to have low impact on the surroundings and are almost entirely self sufficient. Power to run lights, pumps, refrigeration and computers is generated by solar panels and stored in batteries concealed below the deck. The concentric spiral shape of the roof acts like a funnel to capture rain water and channel it into large storage tanks below the deck which is used for toilets, lavatories and showers. The nautilus inspired shape of the buildings evolved, in part, due to its ability to resist hurricane forces. Wall panels and furniture can be readily unclipped and moved to a safe house on the shore leaving only the docks and rigid wheel-like structure of the roof to endure the storm.
