CAJA BY MAXX ROYAL

Located in Hebil Bay, adjacent to Bodrum’s famous Türkbükü Bay, and designed by GEOMIM, CAJA by Maxx Royal is planned as a hotel that strengthens people’s experience of the bay. The villas are positioned approximately 30 meters behind the approach boundary, creating wide open common areas for pool and beach use. Considering that the future stages of the project will also share the same beach, the use of the common area has been maximized with the planned pedestrian axes. While the villa areas are left more calm and isolated, the main facility experience is created at the entrance and by the sea.

In the project, which carries traces of the house style that was popular in Bodrum in the 80s, the scale and monolithic expression of the urban identity and semi-open relations were preserved. Open living is supported for each unit on the ground and the first floors are shaded by wooden eaves. When evaluated from a bird’s eye view, blocks that can be seen independently of each other; technical rooms, parking lot, staff rooms, and service connections, which ensure the efficient operation of the hotel, are connected to each other with an underground base.

The spatial organization of the villas is planned by dividing the living and service areas into two with a transparent circulation volume. This buffer zone houses a linear staircase and is fed by daylight from both the skylight and windows. On the ground floor is an open-plan kitchen that connects to both the service and living areas. While life on the lower floors continues uneventfully in the gardens, large windows on the first floors open directly onto the terraces, each room designed with outdoor access.

Considering the long-term use, sustainable and easy-care surfaces are used to focus on the interiors, avoiding thick surfaces and/ or objects that may overwhelm guests over time. A simple palette of black, white, and beige designed by GEO_ID brings a calm atmosphere to the interiors, while the border between the interior created by the white plaster coating and the shaded patio is seamlessly resolved.

Black furniture contrasts with white walls and ceilings, while beige ceramic surfaces balance the atmosphere, adding warmth to the atmosphere. A homogeneous brightness was avoided in the lighting design and regional lighting was preferred for pendants and spots placed according to the daily routines of the guests. The studio has paid attention to the use of objects from local suppliers, each unit is designed with different accents.

Organic patterns obtained from Bodrum’s textures dominate all common areas. Different interpretations of this pattern are featured on fitness and reception ceilings, spa walls, and restaurant floors, in different materials and scales. While natural stones are used for spa – massage, sauna, and steam room facilities and for holistic rituals, the patterns created on the travertine walls are paired with lacquer finishes. At the center of the landscape design was the idea of restoring and enriching the existing natural conditions. Olive and palm trees, ivy walls, groundcovers, and the use of native plants reflect the Mediterranean themes, while the modest garden arrangements reminiscent of the surrounding villages made possible closeness and neighborhood connections when desired.

The building facades are optimized in terms of light transmission, solar gains, and heat loss. White plaster applications are customized, including small rocks that provide micro shadows and reduce solar gains. Large wooden eaves provide shade and windows are integrated into the façade design and pulled back as part of the climate control systems. The green roofs requested by the customer created better views for the hillside settlements and contributed to the sustainability goals of the project. The local stone of Bodrum was used in the surrounding walls. Other energy design strategies are the use of seawater throughout the hotel, optimum building orientation, automatic controlled natural ventilation and rainwater collection systems for irrigation, and important practices for sustainability have been implemented.

NATURAL STONE:

SPA WALLS: TRAVERTINE

SITE WALLS: BODRUM STONE

QUARRY: BODRUM

CREDITS
Architectural Design: GEOMIM
Design Team: Ali Çalışkan, Mehmet Vaizoğlu, Gülnar Ocakdan, Hakan Alıc, Büşra Yılmaz, Sena Özsoy, Melike Sünnetçi
Interior Design: GEO_ID
Landscape Design: Gürsan Engin
Employer: Ets-Maxx Royal-Voyage Hotels Construction Investment Group
Contractor: Botam
Completion Date: 2022
Construction Site: 10.070 m²
Location: Bodrum, Muğla
Photography: Emre Dörter