Cove Hotel

01 Idea

On an olive-covered slope running down to the sea in Datça, we propose a 24-room hotel. The easiest way to build on a slope is to flatten it; we propose the opposite: keep the gradient and embed the rooms into the hillside as terraces. Seen from the sea, the hotel will appear as a few thin lines of stone among the olive trees, with planted roofs. None of the existing olive trees will be felled; some will be relocated and replanted between the terraces.

02 Space

The rooms are lined up as horizontal strips across four levels; each room’s roof is the garden of the room above. Reception, restaurant and spa sit at the top of the slope by the road; from there a single stone stair and an inclined lift alongside it connect all the terraces. The pool is proposed at the lowest level, at the point closest to the sea. Every room faces one way, to the sea; the rear walls lean against the earth and the bathrooms are embedded within them.

03 Material and construction

Retaining walls will be reinforced concrete faced in the site’s own stone. Roofs are proposed as green roofs planted with local scrub; the earth mass will keep the rooms cool in summer. Inside the rooms: lime plaster, oak and hand-woven wool; local marble in the bathrooms. We are in the final stage of preliminary design and drawing the first system details for construction documents. The environmental assessment process continues; setbacks and the vegetation report will be finalised during it.

04 Light

As the rooms are single-aspect, carrying light into their depth matters: we propose a narrow light slot in each ceiling opening from the garden above; in the morning, light through this slot will reach the bathroom. The eave on the sea facade will be calculated to cut the midday sun yet let the evening sun reach the bed. At night, preserving the darkness of the cove is a priority: terraces will have only low, warm, shielded light. From the sea, the hotel will remain almost invisible.