KA LAWANDA RESORT

Project idea

Ka Lawanda was born from the realization that Aswan's rich tradition of aromatic healing — once a vital part of its landscape and heritage — is fading into obscurity due to urban detachment, climate stress, and neglect of land-based practices. The idea is to design a therapeutic resort that doesn't simply operate within the environment, but heals it — and its users — through the thoughtful reintegration of aromatic flora, local craft, and passive design.

By transforming disused hills into active topographies of wellness, the project repositions the native plant species not just as landscape elements, but as curators of program, atmosphere, and identity. Architecture becomes a frame for sensorial storytelling — a place where climate-adaptive techniques, local materials, and cultural rituals converge to create a contemporary sanctuary rooted in heritage.

The core idea is that healing can be both spatial and ecological. Through architecture that breathes with the land, spaces that awaken forgotten senses, and experiences guided by natural scents and sounds, Ka Lawanda offers a new model for tourism that is restorative, place-specific, and environmentally conscious — proving that sustainability is not just technical, but cultural.

Project description

Project Title: Ka Lawanda – Resort in Aswan
("Ka" meaning Homeland, "Lawanda" meaning Pleasant Scent in Nubian dialect)

Ka Lawanda is a sensory healing resort designed to revive the aromatic botanical traditions of Aswan through an architecture rooted in climate resilience, cultural continuity, and multi-sensory therapy. Situated atop the rolling terrain of the Nubian landscape, the project reclaims neglected hills once used for native aromatic cultivation, transforming them into an experiential journey of spatial and ecological healing.

The masterplan is organized into three terraced clusters, each anchored by a central courtyard that serves a distinct therapeutic function — the Sensory Garden Court, Yoga and Meditation Court, and Floral Hydrotherapy Court. The architecture responds to site-specific topography, cascading organically down the slope and embracing the natural contours to preserve land identity and water behavior. Each cluster incorporates traditional Nubian construction principles, reinterpreted through modern environmental strategies: vaulted mud brick forms, thick thermal walls, low-e glazing, and passive ventilation systems.

At the heart of the experience is the integration of native aromatic plants — lavender, marjoram, basil, lemongrass, and wild mint — not as ornamental vegetation but as programmatic drivers of wellness. Their placement is intentional: basil in meditation spaces for clarity, lavender in sleeping quarters for calm, lemongrass in courtyards for purification. The scent becomes a wayfinding tool, a therapeutic stimulant, and a spatial memory trigger.

The circulation strategy choreographs this sensorial immersion — winding, shaded alleys; stepped ramps embedded in the slope; and moments of pause through aromatic courtyards and filtered skylight niches. The resort is intentionally porous, allowing wind, light, and scent to guide the visitor’s experience.

Public functions such as a local herbal souq, workshops, healing lounges, and storytelling terraces are arranged around the base plaza to foster cultural exchange and community participation. Water features — reflecting pools, misting walls, and hydrotherapy ponds — are strategically used to cool, reflect, and engage the senses while being fed through a closed-loop greywater recycling system.

The architectural language fuses minimalism with heritage. Façade treatments feature local stone cladding with carved triangular Nubian motifs, while doors, balconies, and window frames are color-coded by cluster (crimson red, buttery yellow, botanical turquoise, and lavender purple), echoing the plant typologies they surround.

Ka Lawanda is more than a retreat — it is a model for contextual, therapeutic architecture that restores both land and lifestyle, reconnecting people with ancestral knowledge through multisensory design, environmental integrity, and spatial storytelling.

Technical information

MASTERPLAN & SITE ORGANIZATION
Zoning Distribution:
▪ Cluster A (+0.00 m): Sensory Garden Court (red-themed), sensory gardens, public interaction, local souq, bonfire plaza
▪ Cluster B (+2.00 m): Yoga & Healing Court (yellow-themed), junior suites, yoga plaza
▪ Cluster C and D (+4.00 to +6.00 m): Floral Hydrotherapy Court (turquoise/purple-themed), suites, water courts

ARCHITECTURAL SYSTEMS
Construction Materials:
▪ Walls: Stabilized Compressed Earth Blocks (CEBs), 45–60 cm thick
▪ Stone Infill: Local Aswan granite stone with rough-textured triangular patterns
▪ Floors: Polished terrazzo concrete & natural local stone for thermal inertia
▪ Roofs: Vaulted earth and stone vaults with reinforced concrete ribs (Nubian style reinterpretation)
▪ Windows: Timber shutters with perforated panels; low-E double-glazed operable windows

Façade Treatment:
▪ Smooth white plaster finish and rought swhite stone claddings over CEBs for solar reflection
▪ Accent bands and triangular motifs carved into local stone
▪ Openings shaded by carved stone brise-soleil & deep-set vault recesses

Structural System:
▪ Earth walls bearing over shallow stone footings with water barrier membrane
▪ Reinforced concrete slabs and cores inserted for vertical stability & stairwells
▪ Vaulted roofing on CEB arches with lime-based waterproofing layers

ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGIES
Passive Cooling:
▪ Courtyard microclimates with stack-effect ventilation
▪ Cross ventilation via wind catchment alleys and perforated domes
▪ Thermal mass in walls for night heat release
▪ Tensile fabric shading structures in public courts

Sustainable Systems:
▪ Greywater recycling for plant irrigation
▪ Permeable stone paving across outdoor areas to minimize runoff
▪ Use of drought-resistant, native aromatic flora to reduce water use

Material Sourcing & SDGs Alignment:
▪ Locally sourced natural materials (stone, earth, lime) → SDG 11
▪ Greywater reuse & green roof filtration → SDG 6
▪ Thermal strategies to reduce energy use → SDG 13
▪ Aromatic healing and wellness design for SDG 3

SPATIAL CONFIGURATION
Cluster Layout:
▪ Each cluster contains 4 blocks, and each block contains 4 rooms
▪ Central court dedicated to a healing ritual: yoga, aroma therapy, or hydrotherapy
▪ Pathways shaded and scented with therapeutic planting
▪ Dome entrance plaza opens to a market zone and celebration terraces

Room Typologies:
▪ Lokandas (Single)
▪ Junior Suite (Connected lokandas)
▪ Suite

Courtyard Typologies:
▪ Floral Hydrotherapy Plaza: sunken water pools, mist features, flowering vines
▪ Yoga Court: elevated wooden platforms, gravel gardens, sound buffers
▪ Sensory Garden: interactive path lined with aromatic herbs, tactile zones

LANDSCAPE AND CIRCULATION
Ramped Movement Strategy:
▪ Main ramp weaves across slope to connect all 3 terraces with < 6% incline
▪ Circulation loop marked by accent color (red/yellow/turquoise/purple)
▪ Seating pockets under trees, water basins for pause and scent immersion

Landscape System:
▪ Layers of native Nubian herbs, palms, shade trees (acacia, neem, date)
▪ Raised beds with marjoram, lemongrass, lavender, and mint in strategic zones
▪ Courtyard paving integrated with root systems and irrigation
▪ Bonfire court paved with volcanic stone for thermal resistance

LIGHTING & ACOUSTIC DESIGN
Lighting:
▪ Soft uplighting along pathways with scented torches and floor insets
▪ Courtyard accent lighting embedded into stone benches
▪ Room openings oriented for diffused natural daylight

Acoustic Design:
▪ Stone walls and heavy materials act as natural sound insulation
▪ Water features buffer courtyard sound
▪ Domed spaces designed for echo reduction and calm soundscapes