Not quite Wright in Ubud: The Chedi Ubud hotel

Not quite Wright in Ubud: The Chedi Ubud hotel

UBUD, Bali (JP): The design of the Chedi Ubud, the latest
boutique hotel in Payangan, northwest of Ubud, Bali, shows
evidence of the influence of the renowned American architect,
Frank Lloyd Wright, in some of its architectural and interior
design elements.

The overall design is an elegant architectural statement
inspired by many other designs. It is indeed true that "nothing
is new under the sun".

For the most part, the architecture of the Chedi seems to work
fine. However, any design can always be improved, and the Chedi
is no exception. The design challenges of some parts of the
resort might have actually benefited from a more careful and
thorough study of Wright's designs.

Walking into the lobby of the Chedi Ubud, visitors are
immediately greeted with the monumental reception desk. Behind
this desk is an equally monumental backdrop composed of
decorative concrete blocks, flanked by a pair of columns with a
rustic texture. The composition inevitably reminds one of Wright.
However, at the Chedi the concrete blocks are far simpler than
Wright's elegantly ornamented and carefully crafted designs.

The use of decorative concrete blocks was first used in
Wright's design of a hotel as well. He first used a similar
superimposition of textures at the Hotel Imperial (1915-22,
demolished in 1968) in Tokyo. However, the modest materials were
used most effectively and esthetically in the designs of houses
around Los Angeles, California, around the 1920s.

In the designs of the residences of Millard (1922), Freeman
(1923), Storrer (1923), Ennis (1924), and Jones (1929), Wright
used decorative concrete blocks each with its own decorative
pattern, so that each house has a strong identity.

In contrast to the rather cold reception area dominated by the
rustically concrete backdrop is the small and quiet library
behind it. The use of teak to encase this space creates a warmth
that enhances the atmosphere of this library.

The furniture here also seems to have been inspired by
Wright's designs of the 1940s, the simplicity of the construction
of the furniture of the Auldbrass Plantation in Yemasee, South
Carolina, and the functional proportions of the chair for the
Sondern House in Kansas City, Missouri. At the Chedi, the
furniture has been modified and simplified to suit the needs of
the project, and no longer resembles any of Wright's designs too
closely.

The restaurant is not far from the lobby. Towering columns of
coconut wood structurally support the thatch roof of the
pavilion, while visually they recreate an atmosphere of a coconut
grove. Perhaps the interior design of the restaurant was intended
to preserve the atmosphere of the coconut grove which once
existed on the site. The finish was also left a little rough to
give it a rustic character.

From this restaurant, the view of the vast Ayung valley is
spectacular. The Chedi Ubud is located in Payangan, far north of
the villages Sayan and Kedewatan which are now chocker with
hotels, the Amandari, the Kupu-kupu Barong and the Cahaya Dewata.

Below the restaurant lies a lounge not far from the swimming
pool. The difference in height between the restaurant and the
lounge is so great that it needs tall supporting columns. To
reduce the awkward visual appearance of the tall and slender
columns, they have been thickened with stones from the river. The
end result are monumental columns that stand tall and strong.

These columns show that Dutch architect Henri Maclaine-Pont's
design of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) was probably
also a source of inspiration for the Chedi Ubud. The columns
encircling the corridors of ITB's main halls are also encased in
stone to provide an elegant and monumental appearance.

By contrast, the swimming pool protrudes from the hotel's
spatial composition in a cumbersome manner. In a single
composition of dark turquoise tiles, the pool is a monolith which
seems in stark contrast to the organic site of the Ayung valley
and its natural surroundings.

A view from the opposite side of the river, as appears in the
Chedi Ubud's brochure, gives a feeling that the resort is yet
another massive monolith, not very different from the feeling
offered by the "Big House", the Chedi Bandung. Although the hotel
is actually composed of many different sections, the planning of
the site fails to convey the organic design that was intended.

Therefore, it might have been better for the designers to have
concentrated on Wright's concept of "organic design", and not
just to have sourced inspiration from the visual appearances of
his designs. We should always remember that the design process is
as important as its product.

I have to say that the hotel is not quite "Wright": not quite
right by Frank Lloyd Wright's standards. Some parts are not quite
right by any established designer's standards.

Be that as it may, the Chedi Ubud is still a strong
architectural statement, offering an elegant hotel environment
and amazing comfort crafted from simple and cheap materials. But
I suppose that whether the hotel is "Wright" is of minor concern.
Moderately priced, the Chedi Ubud is the right hotel in Bali for
young travelers.(Amir Sidharta)