DESIGN
A bust of French naturalist Jean- Baptiste Lamarck in the auditorium ; it sits next to a bust of Charles Darwin .
Two sphinxlike , 7-meter ridgeback dogs , the university ’ s mascots , welcome guests .
WRITING THE PLOT Almost all of us enjoyed our college times . Why not build a resort based on those happy times ?
So we built a university campus dedicated to the study of things natural – my true love – and named it after French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck , who laid the groundwork for Darwin . I live by the idea that a hotel , like a movie , should have an endearing plot worth watching more than once , so I wrote an elaborate script that included when and why each of the resort ’ s 37 buildings was constructed .
As the script goes , the smallest buildings , including the Department of Physical Education ( spa and gym ) and the administration building ( lobby ), built before 1840 , line the charming Rue de Lamarck . Wander to the end of that main street to the beachfront Department of Chemistry ( the bar , naturally ) for cocktails before crossing the street for dinner at the Department of Architecture ( as an architect , I could not resist ). Being a dog lover , I made Phu Quoc ’ s ridgeback dog the mascot , flanking the entry drive with a pair of adorable , 7-meter-high sculptures .
There is a university track , sports hall of fame , fraternity suites and an auditorium with portraits of famous scientists who have lectured there . Inside is a speakers lounge I call Elliott ’ s Backstage , after Lamarck ’ s younger brother , an actor . We animated the space with his costumes and props . While I never repeat anything in my work , I would like to tell more of that story in a small boutique hotel I am working on in Hanoi , across from the city ’ s elegant opera house .
The resort ’ s allday restaurant , Tempus Fugit , is in the Department of Architecture , because time flies for architects and guests enjoying their meals .
The library in the university ’ s administration building , or lobby area
48 hotelsmag . com November 2017