Corfu / NAFSIKA
Masterplanning is all about telling an amazing story.
— John Goldwyn
1 / PROJECT BACKGROUND
Every place is fundamentally made up of layers of stories, memories and associations created over millennia. I look at all these layers – the historical maps, the stories, how people have used the space over time, and these all help build my concept and how I approach my work. It also ensures that everything I do fits the place which is crucially important.
There’s a specific history at this site that ties into the notion of layers. In this case, the developer’s father commissioned the original building and constructed it out of local hand laid stone, it has the only golf course on Corfu and it is set within many stands of mature trees with gently sloping topographical features and extensive lakes which creates a beautiful canvas to work on.
This is the legacy of the project that we have been asked to preserve, a family story that we are continuing which builds on their emotional connection with this land.
As the association is quite a personal one the client is very hands on with the project. A lot of my time has been dedicated to working directly, listening and collaborating in a way that I could never do when working in a big firm. Up front I also want to be sure we have gone through all the commercial aspects, so we’ve confirmed with the client the financial feasibility is right, that the build cost is acceptable, the development economics are solid — all of this process is as important as the design itself.
2 / APPROACH AND VISION
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Everything is surrounded by hills and forest-covered mountains with the Nafsika River flowing through the valley to Ermones, just over a kilometre away, with the Ionian Sea beyond. It is this flow of water and the richness of the wetland habitat and wildlife that is fundamental to everything we are creating.
New development elements are designed to harness the spirit of this incredible, unique site. By embracing the changing of seasons, capturing seasonal rains before they reach the sea we are creating a network of canals and waterways. This provides the perfect setting for a boutique wellness hotel, a revitalised golf course and a range of residences.
Working with the existing buildings on the site, such as the clubhouse means that we reposition rather than knock everything down. By adding in some undercroft areas and additional wings in the same style a lovely rambling village is created rather than a more modern structure that might look out of place. Everything works together, the trees and the waterways combining to give the feel of a village that has always been there and integrated with the surrounds.
I’m always looking at the nature that is there already and make it a mission to only cut trees or disturb things where absolutely necessary. The standard approach of levelling things to the ground and re-planting is difficult to justify anymore. Not only does it have a huge environmental impact, but it also requires huge amounts of time, energy and money.. People might say my approach is a naïve one — that the contractors will damage things and make it difficult to protect what’s there. But, with the right systems in place, it is completely doable.
As soon as I get off the plane I immediately start sketching. It’s really important to be drawing and making notes as soon as I arrive to capture as many details, initial impressions as possible. I’m paying attention to everything that will have an impact on what we will do — the sun positioning, wind patterns, landscape, infrastructure. Many of the ideas in those initial sketches carry all the way through to the final project.
Most important is the master plan itself. As an example, if building around trees is part of the story then that has to be fundamental to everything we need to do — and the master plan specifies the tree protection measures, ensures we don’t change the ground level around the trees…. It basically drives all decision making toward making that story a reality.
3 / ASSEMBLING THE WORLD CLASS TEAM
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GREGG CORNFORTH
Architect
Gregg is an architect from South Africa with whom I’ve collaborated many times in the past on successful projects all over the world, from Qatar to Hong Kong to Greece. He has a rare and exceptional vision for putting hospitality projects together. Few architects have the skill Gregg has in balancing the operational needs of the hotel with the need to create exhilarating, memorable experiences for the guests. It’s a specialist skill honed from decades of experience and acquired knowledge.
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KATIE MURPHY
Artist
Many practitioners may question why I would bring an artist into a project like this, but having the freedom to work with someone like Katie Murphy is one of the key reasons for setting up Studio Wild 15. I have always believed that artists have this unique and uncompromising way of looking at things. Despite the fact she is no expert in ecology, she brings a purity of aesthetic and an understanding of nature from an artist perspective, that differs significantly from a technician’s perspective like mine. It leads to different, highly original and valuable ideas and thinking. Katie’s contribution on this project has been wide-ranging, spanning from hand drawing and visualisation to sensory details and artistic flourishes.
LAURA MORALES
Interior Architect
Laura is a long-term partner and member of our collective, an exceptional Interior Architect formerly of the world renowned Foster+Partners architecture practice.
She has an innate ability to take my broad design themes as a master planner and bring them through into the finer details of the architectural imagery and mood. She is constantly thinking of the fine details of the individual guest at the granular level, such as the experience of sitting on your private balcony or the sensory environment of the breakfast dining moment.
Her expertise in furniture and materiality gives her an exceptional understanding of how small elements affect how you interact with and experience the space - the type of texture of the tiles under your feet if you walk out barefoot onto your balcony, or whether the handrail you touch on the way down to the beach is made of glass or timber.
4 / INSPIRING POSITIVE SUSTAINABILITY
“We all know the environmental trajectory we’re on. We urgently need to look at every development through a lens of sustainability. Right now within the industry there are huge areas of opportunity to be better, be smarter and more thoughtful. That’s what really drives my approach and the results. I fundamentally believe that a sustainable mindset and approach creates developments that are not only cheaper to operate but are more viable and attractive for people to enjoy and purchase.”
Nafsika sits in the Ropa Valley and seasonal floods make the site unusable in the Autumn and impact the drainage. The idea is that by creating all these beautiful waterways for this project, we solve the flooding problem and create all these new visual features. The water flows through the site, and we capture it as part of the ecosystem, and create natural swimming pools, little canals and waterways for small boats and irrigation for the golf course.
We always look at sun orientation. The best approach is to build a building so you don’t need huge amounts of air conditioning in the first place. You can use natural ventilation where you work with seasonal wind flows, solar shading, and smart building orientation. when you factor in all these elements, the benefit is a significant reduction in the need for air-conditioning driven cooling in the first place.
5 / PROJECT STATUS (as of February 2024)
The master planning work is close to completion.
We are in the investment phase and aim to break ground later this year.