Crafting a Maldivian stay

A-Frame Cabins in Maldives: Breaking the Mold

In 2016, I embarked on a journey to design A-frame cabins for Oaga Art Resort in the Maldives. My mission was to create an architectural design concept that would tell the story of Maldivian structural designs, past and present. I wanted to craft spaces that would resonate with the soul of the Maldives, regardless of the era.

Seeking Professional Guidance

This being my first time leading a project of this scale, I sought the expertise of professionals. I am eternally grateful to Sidey of Siarch, an architectural firms led by a brilliant friends of mine. Their teams played an indispensable role in bringing these designs to life.

Beyond the Muted Palette

We began by exploring existing resort architecture. While beautiful and well-designed, there was a common thread: muted colors. Some resorts had splashes of color, but if you removed the captions from their photos, there wasn't much to distinguish one brand from another, except for a few standouts like Hard Rock and Cora Cora. These resorts had a story to tell. That's where we needed to start. We needed a story to define our product. And to keep the project on track, we had to move quickly!

"ޕުރިޖެކްޓު ހުރީ ހަތަރުތަނުން، ދޮންގަދަކޮށް، ކައްކަން އުދާފަ"

Finding Inspiration in the Past

Everything was happening in parallel – the overall concept, the brand, the product – none of it was clearly defined. But we had a rough idea: it would be an authentic local product that would tell a story.

We turned our attention to traditional Maldivian building structures. It's unclear exactly when Maldivians first inhabited these islands, but it dates back over 3,000 years. Simple structures of shelter can be seen throughout this archipelago nation.

'odiharuge' Photo from https://www.hassanhameed.com/ under the article A history of Maldivian architecture: Part 3—Shelters

One design that kept drawing us back was the boat-building huts  "ހަރުގެ" . Their simple yet sturdy build was intriguing. They had this A-frame structure with supporting columns, a design that really stood out. And when you thought about it, an equilateral triangle seemed like a good engineering solution too, given its stability. It was perfect for a standout design that could tell a story.

Challenging Conventions: Size Isn't Everything

Once the basic design was finalized, we played around with the scaling – the sizes of the rooms, the standard room sizes in other resorts, and the rates at which those rooms were being sold. Mind you, this was around 2016, so the idea of experience-seeking travelers wasn't as common among designers and architects. Back then, a lot of emphasis was given to the fine details of the room, and sizing was considered crucial to the rate at which it could be sold.

We tried a few different styles with different designers. While the designs were awesome-looking, they just weren't telling a story. We were still playing it safe, using the same materials and textures. We needed to break out of that mold.

A Splash of Local Color

We visited some of the local islands and started noticing how Maldivians used color in their homes. Some homes were simple, with plain white walls and wooden accents. But on other islands, people loved having these big walls of contrasting colors. Mustard green living rooms with white fluorescent lights were the norm. This was looking good, this was local. But how could we bring this into the resort industry, where pristine clear water beaches and muted buildings with wood accents were considered the quintessential "Maldives"?

Sobatte aka @toxicrew

Around late 2020, I ran into Sobatte (Toxicrew) and told him about my recce and how some islands had these colorful walls while others were more muted. We talked about how bold it would be to bring in those colors, but how much color was too much? How would the guests take it? They would have certain expectations about how resort rooms in the Maldives should look, and this could really throw them off. Worst case, it could negatively impact the product financially. We had to strike a balance. Then it struck us: let's not go overboard in the bedroom, but let's go crazy in the bathroom!

The "Dhaani Shower": An Outdoor Oasis

The traditional Maldivian bathroom was set outdoors in the back of the house, usually among a tiny forest of fruiting and vegetable plants and trees. Inside, there's an above-ground water well, with a 1.5-foot small retention wall, and the water about 4 feet below ground level. One would draw water from the ground using this 1.5-liter tin can at the end of a 6-foot stick.

Once drawn, in one stroke, one would pour this cool, fresh groundwater over their head. It truly is a different experience. Enclosed in this cocoon of lush greenery, banana trees, cassava plants, bougainvillea creeping over limestone walls, the smell was so earthy and fresh, with nothing but the calls of the crows (usually) and water hitting the cement screed. On a humid, sticky noon day, the cold water rushes over your body. You can hardly keep your eyes open as the water gushes down your face, but through it, you see the rays of the noon sun, tamed. No longer scorching, but playing softly on your eyelashes. A shower in a Maldivian "gifili" is an experience like no other.

This drove us to do an outdoor shower with no other alternative. Usually, resorts have indoor and outdoor showers, but we were like, "If you want an indoor shower, there are plenty of other resorts you can experience those at. But if you're among those who seek those intimate, bound-to-nature showers, these A-frame cabins and outdoor showers are the way to go."

So it was all coming together. We had this A-frame structure and a gorgeous, beautiful concept for an authentic outdoor bathroom, complete with a vanity area featuring spray-painted motifs and crazy colors. Contrasting experiences in one small space. It could take you from a fun day of vanity to a funky clubbing night, and then you could just switch it all to nature with one step outside. It felt really modular, at least that's what we thought.

early concept sketches

The "Capsized Boat": A Room with a Story

With the bathroom out of the way, we focused on the inside of the A-frame rooms. As we lay down, looking at the blank rafters, it felt like we were looking inside the skeletal structure of a dhoni. And then it hit us: "Capsized boat!"

This blank canvas was very daunting. What were we going to do with it? How was the furniture going to be arranged? How would we translate this idea of a capsized boat into a functional and aesthetically pleasing space?

Our next mission was dissecting boats. If people traveled long distances on these vessels, how did they store their clothes? How did they live on them? Where did they cook? How did they sleep? How did they find cover from the elements, like rain and sun?

It seemed that back in the day, people traveled in these very shallow-built boats called "bahtheli." These boats hugged the ocean's surface, with a two-leaf thatch roof (woven with screwpine leaves) providing cover. One could see how these boats would have been really cozy on a good day.

Fast forward to modern-day "grouper fishing boats," which have these small cages to dip in the water and keep the fish alive, and nets with about three-inch squares at the weave. Fishermen hang part of these nets at the stern, conveniently holding their masks, fins, and t-shirts – essentially a wardrobe. Drawing inspiration from this, we chose elements for the room, including oil barrels for shelves and cabinets, a bed frame inspired by the shape of the "filaagandu" (traditional Maldivian swing), and a daybed reminiscent of 90s ferry seating.

Romance in the Details

While the designs, layouts, and functions were defined and came into play, we also needed to tell the story of the A-frames as a whole and individually. The rooms needed their own identities. How could we tell a story that resonated with the core of Maldives/Maldivians?

To answer this, we had to ask another question: what was the Maldives known for, besides sun, sand, and sea? Why were people coming to the Maldives? What were they celebrating?

A nuance of "Romance" seemed to be a recurring theme. It was the perfect getaway, the perfect story to tell. Secluded on these islands, with heavenly food and all those little things that your heart desires… Romance. What better way than to let these spaces, rooms, residences, tell those stories? And that's how each room came to have these striking murals, be it the gorgeous and eye-catching works by Sobatte and Nadhee, or the bold, fine art lines of Mamdhu in his signature ink and white style.

More Stories to Tell

These are more stories, perhaps for another day. For today, I just wanted to share with you how the A-frames came to be, their structure, their functions, and how they embody elements of Maldivian culture, past and present.