Multiple Regions Art & Culture, Sustainable Tourism
7 striking design destinations blending sustainability, art and architecture
Casa Chameleon, Costa Rica
From vibrant glass installations in Adelaide to Costa Rica’s cliffside eco-retreat and a bold hotel rising in Dubai, these seven global openings and concepts are pushing the boundaries of design, environment and experience
Raise a glass
The world’s most celebrated glass artist, American Dale Chihuly has long been a pioneer in the avant-garde in the development of glass as a fine art. In a Southern Hemisphere first, 15 of his large-scale, hand-blown installations are now on display (until 29 April 2025) within the Adelaide Botanic Garden. Alongside outdoor works, free to enjoy and including two pieces created specifically for their South Australian setting, the Bicentennial Conservatory is hosting a ticketed exhibition – In Full Colour: Dale Chihuly – showcasing smaller groupings and offering insights into the artists’ creative process. Don’t miss the Chihuly Nights experience to see these works transform in colour and form.
Tall order
While it’s still in the concept phase, the Giraffe Water Towers Project by Shanghai-Tianjin based Zoo Architects is already turning heads. The concept was to design a series of structures that support water retention and new vegetation on Africa’s Serengeti plains, providing valuable nutrients and hydration for the animals that live there – vitally contributing to land fertility and plant growth when habitat loss has led to food shortages and soil erosion in an area with the most abundant population of large mammals on Earth. In designing the towers, the architects studied the complex series of symbiotic relationships that comprise the Serengeti ecosystem, creating a series of structures that extend and merge into the microhabitats of the overall environment.
Going green
Las Catalinas is an adorably tiny beach village set between the mountains and the Pacific Ocean on Costa Rica’s northwest coast. It’s here you’ll find Casa Chameleon at Las Catalinas, a Relais & Châteaux retreat crafted atop a sheer clifface. Largely designed by award-winning Ord Permanent Modernity, the jungle-clad property has just launched a dramatic new dining space: The Green House, a dramatic all-glass structure with Costa Rican coral floors. It’s a grounding space that spotlights sustainability in nifty design features as well as on the menu – remarkably, most of what you eat here is grown in the gardens directly around you. Like, metres from where you sit. Style and sustainability can unite.
Muscat’s moment
The Omani capital of Muscat is known for its bold architecture. And the freshly minted Mandarin Oriental wasn’t about to shy away from that trend. French designer Xavier Cartron was called in to mastermind the project, and he drew inspiration from the richness of Middle Eastern culture – grand Omani wooden doors, fountains that double as works of art, colourful crystal lanterns and neatly symmetrical gardens lined with palms. Design also takes full advantage of the views over the Arabian sea, not to mention the backdrop of the majestic Hajar Mountains.
Janu renew
Set to open in 2027, the Janu Dubai will become the Aman Group’s second hotel for the Janu brand (the other debuted in Tokyo this year). We’re already excited by the design concepts, set in a gleaming building by Pritzker Prize-winning architects Herzog & de Meuron. Public spaces and the 150 hotel rooms will embrace a connection to nature, with abundant use of outdoor terraces, balconies and gardens.
Byron Bay’s new beauty
A 20-hectare biodynamic stone fruit farm in Bangalow on the outskirts of Byron Bay is now home to the jaw-dropping Copperstone, the latest addition to The Ranges Estates portfolio of luxury rental properties, and with distinct Argentinian ranch swagger. Husband-and-wife developers Emma and Tom Lane are the masterminds, working with Story Design Collective to craft spaces using local building materials like Darwin stringy bark timber sourced from an Indigenous community in Cape Tribulation, as well as custom stonework by Tancrede Helve and one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture by Spencer Lambourn Hull. There’s an emphasis placed upon regenerative and sustainable practices both in the five-bedroom homestead and also across the grounds – case in point, the property’s extensive native rainforest planting program in place to protect Bryon Creek, which runs through the estate, and nurture local wildlife.
High style
Not one but 11 renowned designers were commissioned to conceptualise the 10 guest villas and suites – most of which come with private pools – at Iniala Beach House on Thailand’s island of Phuket. The brief? Create something entirely unique, which means that no two spaces are the same. What unites them is the focus on organic, contemporary forms and a commitment to local art throughout, with a collection of more than 40 original works on display. Check in here and you can also make the most of the muay Thai boxing ring and a chef’s table restaurant, Aulis Phuket, by Michelin-starred English chef Simon Rogan.
Latest Articles
Don't miss the latest from Luxury Travel