Column 2-001-E- 14/03/2023

KHA (Kerry Hill Architects) is a renowned international design firm established by its founder, Kerry Hill, in Singapore. They are well known for their work with high-end clients such as Aman Resorts and The Ritz-Carlton.

Nacasa & Partners has been photographing their hotels and other projects since 2010.

For this article, we interviewed Tanuj Goenka, who oversees many global projects as one of three directors of the KHA Singapore office, and asked him about his thoughts of photography and KHA's design philosophy.

(Interview: December 2022)

Text: Reiji Yamakura (IDREIT)

Photography: Sohei Oya (Nacasa & Partners)

Edit: Nobuko Ohara (Nacasa & Partners)

A sustainable design approach of The Ritz-Carlton Maldives
A timeless design for Aman Kyoto
What KHA expect from photographers
The design philosophy of KHA
Ongoing Aman project in UNESCO World Heritage Site in Saudi Arabia

1. A sustainable design approach of The Ritz-Carlton Maldives

Nacasa & Partnrs (N)： Firstly, could you explain the design process of The Ritz-Calrton Maldives Fari Islands? It's a beautiful resort above the ocean!

Tanuj Goenka（T）： The project consists of three verdant islands and a fourth ‘water’ island, on the eastern rim of the Maafalhu Lagoon, part of the Fari Island chain of the North Male Atoll. Created upon existing sandbanks within a shallow reef ecosystem the simple geometric shape of the new islands expresses their man-made nature and is a pragmatic response to the oceanographic conditions.

N： We didn't know it was an artificial island. How did you develop the architecture?

T： The masterplan is oriented on a north-south axis to maximize sunrise and sunset views. The eastern shores of the islands are formed with rock revetments to withstand the primary swells and winds from the Indian Ocean, whilst on the leeward side long shallow beaches embrace the tranquil waters of the lagoon. The circular form of the one-bed villa arrows each unit to be individually orientated as required to achieve pristine views and ensure total privacy without interrupting the clean sweeping curves of the masterplan composition. This form also minimizes the perceived bulk of the buildings, allowing water, landscape and breezes to flow around and between the volumes.

N： Your team designed the hotel being sustainable, right?

T： Minimizing construction impacts upon the fragile reef ecosystem was a key consideration as the design developed. Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is used for walls and roofs, and glulam timber for columns. These elements were prefabricated in factory conditions where quality and tolerances could be tightly controlled. Arriving on site the CLT panels were swiftly assembled with no cutting, minimising heavy operations and, crucially, generating zero waste and pollution. The majority of the public areas are designed for cross-ventilation and where air-conditioning is needed a sophisticated glazing system with slim profiles and high thermal values has been used. This, together with the widespread use of photovoltaic arrays, the inherent sustainability of CLT and the low-maintenance natural weathered finish, enables the architecture to achieve a low carbon footprint.

The lush greenery of the islands is made up of native specimens that have been reclaimed from land-clearance projects elsewhere in the Maldives. The landscape is sustained with recycled grey-water and fertilized with composted organic waste as part of a comprehensive waste-minimisation strategy.

N： The time we spent at The Ritz-Carlton was fantastic. Do you have any favourite photos of the Maldives?

T： My favourite set is the images with the Maldivian landscape and seascape. The sea always changes by the different quality of light at different times of the day. The interior and architectural photos that were captured in the late evenings and early mornings are just stunning.

N： Thank you! Our photographers are always keen to know the design concept and your ideas before the photo shoot. Do you have any particular images when you offer the photo?

T： We wanted to give information as little as possible before your photographers went to the site because we really wanted to see the project through their eyes. As I said earlier, when we design, we consider what is appropriate for the site's context. Also, I think it is important for photographers to consider the relationship with the place. Besides, Each one of your photographers is an artist, and the fewer ideas we give to an artist when they start their work, the better it is.

2. A timeless design for Aman Kyoto

N： Next, let's talk about Aman's projects in Japan. KHA has designed Aman Tokyo, Aman Kyoto, and Amanemu in Ise-Shima. Which is most impressive?

T： For our office, I would say Kyoto is a special place. It's been the longest project for our office, we first started working on the project 24 years ago. Kerry was introduced to the site, and he first walked the site, then. I went to the site almost 22 years ago, when I was a young architect. We were designing the project over the years, but it stopped two or three times due to economic cycles.

N： 24 years ago!? We didn't know it took that long.

T： Actually, we designed Aman Kyoto twenty years ago, and then the project re-started four or five years ago. Kerry was asking himself, whether what we had designed 20 years ago was still relevant and was still the right solution for the site. Then, he visited Kyoto and spent a few days to get an answer from the site. After that, Kerry made sure that our original design was still the best solution to be built. And that is something that we want to create for all of our clients. We hope to continue developing timeless design, like Aman Kyoto, that is not influenced by fashion or trend.

3. What KHA expect from photographers

N： The first time we photographed for KHA was for an exhibition at the TOTO Gallery Ma in 2010. That's quite a long relationship, isn't it?

T： Yes. We saw their photographs for a long time. Basically, we are designing buildings and interiors more to the experience. It means we always focus on what end users would see, how they would experience the building, and how the building interacts with the landscape, light, sunsets, all of those things. We feel that Nacasa & Partners could capture those kinds of experiences for someone who sees the photos without being there. We understand it's very difficult to capture the space's mood and character. Nacasa's photos are very human scale based, and the team does a great job capturing that.

N： We took a photo looking up at the ceiling of the Aman Tokyo's lobby for the book "KHA: Kerry Hill Architects Works and Projects (Thames &Hudson)", at your request. It's an honor for us to be involved.

the book "KHA: Kerry Hill Architects Works and Projects (Thames &Hudson)" coverpage : Aman Kyoto

T： Yes, It's a photograph representing the experience and what guests look up at in the lobby as they arrive. We really enjoy the dramatic photo capturing the sense of the space.

N： What do you feel about the Nacasa & Partners' photographs?

T： Regarding the photos of Aman Tokyo, some images show the detail and texture of the building. I think it's almost like a photograph of a Japanese garden. When you go to see the Japanese garden and sit and observe for 15 minutes or even longer, and then you start to notice some detail of the garden. I got a similar feeling from Aman Tokyo's photos by Nacasa & Partners. What we always expect from architectural photography is how shadows fall on the surface and how they capture light at different times of the day. And we want the people seeing the photos to experience not only what they see but also what they smell, taste, and hear. Nacasa & Partners captures these nuances so anyone who sees the photos can imagine these different layers of the experiences.

4. The design philosophy of KHA

N： Could you describe a bit about KHA's design philosophy and your team?

T： We have two studios in Australia and Singapore. Two directors are in Australia, and three are in Singapore. So, the Australian office predominantly works on Australian projects, and the Singapore office works internationally. One thing we'd like to do is keep our office as a certain size. We have forty people in Singapore and have resisted growing our office. We tried to keep our office the same size, and hopefully, we will do that in the future as well so that we can control not just the quality of design but also give ourselves enough time. To properly develop a project, we don't want to be rushed.

N： I see, keeping the same size rather than expanding.

T： Yes, we create a design as a response to the context and local culture. To get the right response, we need to immerse ourselves in that context and culture. I think the Amanyangyun in Shanghai, captured by Nacasa & Partners, is a good example of our way of design and attitude. Our client's village, located 600 km away from Shanghai, was going to be underwater because of a dam project. So, he decided to bring all of the camphor trees and about 50 Ming and Qing dynasty houses to Shanghai and kept them. After that, he started looking for a hotel operator and an architect. We are introduced them 12 or 13 years ago, and we are still designing for them. In the early stage of the project, we visited his village and saw the people's lives and how the houses work. Then, with historians and experts, we tried to recreate that in Shanghai as a hotel. So, it was a once-in-a-lifetime type of project. That's what I always tell my team. Our projects are all once-in-a-lifetime kinds of projects.

N： We didn't know the background. Also, We've heard that you trained craftsmen for Amankora in Bhutan, is that right?

T： Yes, in Bhutan, their traditional building is very simple and made of soft earth walls and plaster. For our project, the best way was to train Bhutanese people about durable earth wall technic in Australia and offer them to build the villas on the site. That was quite successful because they are now working as constructors in Bhutan.

N： That's great. I'd like to tell your stories to Japanese designers.

5. Ongoing Aman project in UNESCO World Heritage Site in Saudi Arabia

N： I have one last question. Could you tell us about your current projects?

T： Over the last two or three years, we have expanded the regions to work for. Currently, we are doing a large project in Beverly Hills in LA and Greece. Also, we continue to work on projects in China. In addition, we are working on a very interesting Aman project in Hegra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Saudi Arabia.

N： Fantastic! Any projects in Japan?

T： Since Aman Kyoto was completed, we have spoken to a few potential clients, but none of those projects has moved forward. We really hope that in the coming years.

N： We hope so, too. Kerry has visited Japan more than 50 times. Did he get inspiration from Japan?

T： In the second half of Kerry's career, we got the opportunity to design projects in Japan. But he had a long relationship with Japan and had been to Japan many times before I was born. I've been with him once. Kerry used to say, "In Japan, there is an exactitude to the architecture. And it is neither too much nor too little." The Japanese way of building and the Japanese history of architecture was an obvious source of his inspiration. And it was not just from Japan, he was also heavily influenced by his close friend Geoffrey Bawa and Asian aesthetics. You can find quite a few similarities between Kerry's works and Asian architecture, for example, the simplicity, the sense of being edited, and the connection between indoor and outdoor. I visited Kyoto in 2019 when Aman opened; it was my last visit. There is much more to explore in Japan, and I'm looking forward to spending more time there.

N： Please come and visit us in Tokyo. Thank you for taking the time for our interview.

Tanuj Goenka, RAIA, MSIA

Tanuj Goenka graduated from the School of Architecture, Ahmedabad, India in 1997. He joined the Singapore studio of KHA in 1999 and is a registered practicing architect in Singapore and India.
During his time with KHA he has been involved in a number of large scale projects including masterplanning, hotels and multi-residential buildings in Croatia, Montenegro, Jordan, Thailand, Maldives, Singapore, China and Malaysia.
Tanuj relocated to Bhutan from 2003 to 2006 to oversee the construction of a series of hotels for Aman. He became an Associate of KHA in 2008 and a Practice Director in 2014. He has recently been heading the KHA design and documentation team for projects in California, China, Greece, and Saudi Arabia.