The Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree marks an exciting development in Singapore’s hospitality landscape and a key addition to the city-state’s wildlife and nature destination. WOW was appointed by Mandai Wildlife Group as the lead consultant, architect and interior designer following a design competition.

Located adjacent to a nature reserve, the winning design proposed a regenerative resort that sits sensitively and harmoniously with its natural surroundings.

The 4.6-hectare Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree occupies areas previously used for back-of-house facilities, minimising disturbance to the surrounding environment. Inspired by the Liana vine, the branching building form meanders through the landscape, blending architecture and nature to deepen guests’ connection to the rainforest and offer a truly immersive and conscious stay.

The resort achieves a 40 per cent reduction in energy consumption through an integrated environmental strategy that includes naturally ventilated corridors and lobbies, mixed-mode air conditioning in guest rooms, solar panel integration and the use of Passive Displacement Ventilation (PDV) in the Treehouses – where chilled air circulates silently and efficiently without the need for conventional compressors.

This project sets a new precedent for biophilic, regenerative design and is a resort that blurs boundaries between built form and nature, cultivating appreciation and stewardship of the natural world.

Photography: Aaron Pocock