Modern Ruins

I have a long-held fascination with forgotten, abandoned buildings, so these photographs by Australian architectural photographer Peter Bennetts appeal to me on many levels - precisely because what at first appears to be sprawling Babylonian ruins, or perhaps even abandoned coastal bunkers, are in fact an exciting new hotel currently under construction in Vanuatu.



[Images via Dezeen]

The project in question is La Plage D'hôtel du Pacifique, designed by Melbourne-based Kristen Green Architecture (KGA). The strong influences of both Louis Kahn and Le Corbusier are combined with references to ancient Roman architecture, and to my mind, the resulting design manages to be oddly at home in the tropical setting.




 [Images via Dezeen]

The strong geometries are both complemented and softened by the timber herringbone fenestration on the windows and doors, and the boarded in-situ concrete walls, whilst appearing quite brutal and stark at first, will weather and age beautifully and gradually blend back into the surroundings (if they're not rendered or whitewashed, that is!)

Head to Dezeen for more information and stunning images.