Tucked within an idyllic retreat in the forest of Ninh Van Bay, the Six Senses Water Bottling Plant helps to tackle the ever-growing problem of plastic waste. The innovative sustainability initiative has been designed by Vietnam-based studio Chi.Arch to produce zero-waste reusable bottles of water on site of a holiday resort for guests and staff, while preserving the local environment and enhancing the country’s image.

Housed within a traditional wooden structure topped with a thatched roof, the plant injects an innovative experience in the serene natural context where tourists can visit the site on their getaway and learn more about the processes. ‘The image of the project hidden in the canopy of the forest is both friendly and new, directing people towards the effective use of natural resources and limiting industrial waste,’ notes the design team.

all images courtesy the author

The Six Senses hotel resort has been bottling their own drinking water in reusable glass bottles on-site for over 15 years. This effort to reduce plastic water bottle production has eliminated around 10,000 plastic bottles per month from entering the resort and then eventually ending up in a landfill as waste. Further committed to the combined sustainability driven goals of Six Senses and their architectural practice, the team at Chi.Architects uses traditional and environmentally friendly building materials and construction methods across the project — from the architecture to the interior and furniture design. Together, these give shape to the wooden truss structure, thatched roof and granito concrete floor, meanwhile recycled materials such as bottles and forest trees form lights and furniture pieces.

The Water Bottling Plant includes a main space for operations to produce pure glass water bottles, and a space for visitors to come and learn about the process while experiencing the structure and its picturesque natural context. In the lobby area, equipments such as microscopes and large screens depict educational content in a small tour of the resort. The production space fitted with machinery and production lines has also been designed with particular care for hygiene and safety so that the process may be efficiently carried out.

name: Six Senses Water Bottling Plant architecture: Chi.Arch

location: Ninh Van Bay, Vietnam

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edited by: ravail khan | designboom

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