"In the Apiary"
Backpackers' hostel project for Jetwing Sri Lanka
Founded in 1980, the Jetwing Family showcases Sri Lankan culture to visitors from around the world.
Their spaces have been designed to seamlessly blend the finest of Sri Lankan hospitality with the nature of the surroundings, creating atmospheres of undiscovered luxury that you will find hard to match.
Ella is a small town in the Badulla District of Uva Province, Sri Lanka governed by an Urban Council. The area has a rich bio-diversity, dense with numerous varieties of flora and fauna.
Ella is surrounded by hills covered with cloud forests and tea plantations. The town has a cooler climate than the surrounding lowlands, due to its elevation. The Ella Gap allows views across the southern plains of Sri Lanka.
Based on Jetwing commitment to the environment and sustainable design, and also the unique experiences of backpackers with nature, this hostel has been designed according to the concept, “IN TO THE WILD”.
The visitors receive the opportunity to spend their time being closer to nature, and at the same time to go for a getaway from the materialistic, competitive world of the present.
The main design objectives were;
1. To follow the sustainability methods of Jetwing, Sri Lanka
2. To create an open space design concept, combined with design details, cozy common spaces, and a welcoming ambient
3. To create a space which is supposed to be: cheap, social, close to the nature and simple
4. To create a space for backpackers to meet new people and socialize to some extent under a safe environment
5. To create a safe environment for the handicapped backpack travelers
