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)