the design one of the world’s top architects, is the genius ......2014/01/30 · 30 the leela...
TRANSCRIPT
Thailand-based Bill Bensley, considered one of the world’s top architects, is the brain behind many of Asia’s top luxury
resorts, including The Leela Palace Udaipur. Sonali Shah finds out how the American manages to stay at the top of his game.
The design
GeniusIt may be that your ears have never
caught the echoes of his fame, but,
if you enjoy travelling the world in
style, chances are you’ve lived many
a good times in the swanky properties
Bill Bensley has designed. Bensley,
who heads the Bangkok-based Bensley
Designs Studio, conceptualises luxury
resorts and chic private residences —
and is an ace at it. Architectural Digest
has twice called him one of the top 100
designers in the world, Time magazine
had chosen him as one of the globe’s top
five hospitality designers.
Over the last three decades or so,
Bensley has designed more than 180
resorts and hotels across the world;
it’s impossible to draw up a list of
the world’s top hospitality properties
without including a few of the Bensley
masterpieces. Last year, The Leela Palace
Udaipur, which reflects the combined
genius of Bensley and Kuala Lumpur-
based interior designer Jeffrey Wilkes,
was feted as ‘The Most Exclusive Retreat
on Earth’ by Robb Report. “Building
The Leela Palace Udaipur was a terrific
experience. The site was extremely
challenging as it is smaller (than
most properties would be) and faced
multiple government restrictions,”
says Bensley, who has also designed the
landscape of the property. Bensley says
he enjoyed working with the Indian
stonemasons, whom he terms “the best
in the world”. But the best part of The
Leela Palace Udaipur project, he says,
was partnering with Wilkes. “He’s the
interior designer of all the good things
in India and a perfectionist. He’s a
constant source of inspiration and
we’ve been friends for more than 20
years. He is also the funniest person on
this planet!” Amongst the other people
he admires is Kelly Wearstler: “the sexy
Building The Leela Palace Udaipur, says Bensley, was “a terrific experience”
Starchitecture
31WinTer 2013 – The LeeLa Magazine 30 The LeeLa Magazine – WinTer 2013
American interior designer who’s not
afraid of anything. I absolutely love her
bravado and her creativity”. Bensley
also loves Frank Lloyd Wright, the great
American architect most acclaimed for
Fallingwater, a mesmerising house that
hangs over a waterfall in Pennsylvania.
“He was an extraordinary architect. He
looked at the small and large nature of
things and made it all come together,”
says Bensley, a Harvard alumnus.
Bensley prefers to call his own
working style “maximalist”. “I
typically spend five or six years on a
single project. I enjoy tedious projects —
especially, when we’re going somewhere
new with it and the client gives me the
independence to create,” he says.
PersonalQuestionnaire
Bensley’s favourite person in India:“Captain Nair. He is an extraordinarily kind and sincere person. He is, by far, my most favourite person and client in India.”Favourite Indian food dish:“Palak paneer.”
Most memorable moment in life:“Getting hit square in the head by a bag of red dye during Holi.” Favourite book: “The White Tiger, by Aravind Adiga.”Favourite film: “Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained. I often equate designing a hotel to designing a film, and I love the way he makes a film.” Favourite sport: “Well, I run every day religiously. Not long distance, but I’ve been running every day since I was 20!”Favourite superhero: “Capt. Nair!”Quintessential Bensley quirk: “I love to eat dinner on the floor of my bedroom.”
Bensley has designed more than 180 hotels and resorts across the world
32 The LeeLa Magazine – WinTer 2013
Starchitecture
23 CM (W) X 27.7 CM (H)Bleed Size + 3 mm extraThe Leelas
EXCLUSIVITY IS A LUXURY RESERVED FOR THE EXTRAORDINARY.
FOR A LIVING EXPERIENCE THAT TRANSCENDS THE REALMS OF ASPIRATION,
WE PRESENT AN ÜBER MODERN RESIDENTIAL CITADEL
IN THE UPSCALE LOCALITY OF WORLI, MUMBAI.
THE HAVES AND THE HAVE-NOTS WILL ASPIRE.
YOU CLUSIVELY HAVE IT ALL.
GET INVITED*LIMITED EDITION OFFER FOR THE FIRST, THIRTY DESIGNER HOMES
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
ALL THE APPROVALS NEEDED FOR CONSTRUCTION ARE IN PLACE INCLUDING
COMMENCEMENT CERTIFICATE & ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCE. PHONE : 022 61113999
SITE ADDRESS : The Xclusiv, Junction of Dainik Shivner Marg & Manjrekar Lane, Off Worli Naka, Worli, Mumbai 400018.
CORPORATE OFFICE : PARINEE CRESCENZO, 1st FLOOR, C 38/39, G BLOCK, BEHIND MCA GROUND, BKC, MUMBAI 400 051.
www.parinee.com | [email protected] | facebook.com/ParineeRealty | twitter.com/ParineeRealty
One of Bensley’s more recent
projects has been Shinta Mani (literally,
‘good heart’), in Siem Reap, in the
Angkor Vat region, in Cambodia. The
boutique hotel, which has a smack of
Khmer architecture style, also intends
to enhance the lives of the local people.
“Very recently, I started a new project
for the foundation: the existing farming
methods here extremely primitive and
the crops are limited, so we have started
a farming school,” he says.
“We have changed so many lives!
I would like to invite everyone to visit
Siem Reap and stay at the Shinta Mani,”
says Bensley, who’s a partner at the
hotel. Cambodia, to be sure, fascinates
Bensley, but not as much as Thailand
does. “It’s the Thai people! The Thais
are gorgeous and creative, much like
how I find the Indians. In my next life,
I will live in India,” he says. It’s the
politeness and humbleness of the East
that he would like to see imported to the
Western world. “And the Indian ability
to love, and live with, a number of
diverse religions.”
Currently, Bensley is working on a
hotel in the Caribbean, on the island of
St. Kitts, and a soft opening for select
guests is scheduled towards the end
of the year. It’s a great model of hotel
development for the region, for it’s
built by the villagers themselves, and
not by a “big Chinese contractor”. One
of the interesting features of the resort
is that the fruits and vegetables used
in its kitchens come directly from the
farm in the property (farm-to-table,
as the concept is known). And Bensley
and team have introduced new plants
that were hitherto not available in the
region.
There’s yet another interesting
project in Cambodia that is keeping
Bensley busy these days: “It’s a great
project in Tmor Rung, which might turn
a few heads.” They have purchased 350
hectares of land and are creating what
is going to be Southeast Asia’s first
private wildlife reserve. We’re talking
gibbons, Asian bears, fishing cats, wild
elephants, gaurs, hornbills and more;
and trained rangers on the land have
renounced their life of poaching and
are now working to protect the nature.
The land also boasts a river with three
beautiful waterfalls. Bensley and his
team’s plans for this one are, indeed,
ingenious. “We’re planning 16 super-
luxurious tents here, which will have
“i absolutely love indian food.
and i love the traditional Indian architecture”
The landscape of The Leela Palace Udaipur has been conceptualised by Bensley
Starchitecture
34 The LeeLa Magazine – WinTer 2013
23 CM (W) X 27.7 CM (H)Bleed Size + 3 mm extraThe Leelas
CLUSIVE FEATURES
Strategic LocationUnending Views
CLUSIVE DESIGN
Ultimate PrivacyNegligible Wastage In The Internal Spaces3 Way Natural Ventilation12 Feet Inter-story HeightMost Efficient Utilisation Of Floor Space
CLUSIVE AMENITIES
Sea Facing Sky DecksBanquets & Party LawnsCinema Viewing ScreenBusiness Centre
CEPTIONALLY MORE
Virtual GolfInternationally Designed ClubInfinity PoolInternationally Acclaimed SpaFurnished Guest LoungeAutomated Car Wash FacilityFully Functional Driver Care LoungePremium Concierge ServicesGeared Up Hospitality StaffState Of The Art Digital Vigilance Systems
W O R L IP R E S E N T I N G
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
ALL THE APPROVALS NEEDED FOR CONSTRUCTION ARE IN PLACE INCLUDING
COMMENCEMENT CERTIFICATE & ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCE. PHONE : 022 61113999
SITE ADDRESS : The Xclusiv, Junction of Dainik Shivner Marg & Manjrekar Lane, Off Worli Naka, Worli, Mumbai 400018.
CORPORATE OFFICE : PARINEE CRESCENZO, 1st FLOOR, C 38/39, G BLOCK, BEHIND MCA GROUND, BKC, MUMBAI 400 051.
www.parinee.com | [email protected] | facebook.com/ParineeRealty | twitter.com/ParineeRealty
their own jungle jeeps and private
guides. The camp will be called Shinta
Mani Wild, and will be run completely
off-the-grid; that is, it will generate its
own electricity,” he says.
Bensley is also designing for The
Leela Jaipur, an upcoming boutique
hotel. Bensley’s trips to Rajasthan, in
fact, have got him hooked on to India.
“I absolutely love Indian food! And I
love the traditional Indian architecture.
Very soon, I am touring Rajasthan for
two weeks — just for fun, no work!
I am also a fan of Indian handicrafts,
especially the carved white marble, the
inlaid stone table tops and the ornate
fabrics.”
So what’s the secret of being Bill
Bensley? One might suppose that the
pressure of all those ambitious projects
might weigh heavily on Bensley’s
shoulders, but the man sounds almost
like a Zen master. “Well, I think I am a
calm person with some energy to spare.
I tend to spend a great deal of time just
thinking about new directions for our
many hospitality projects.”
About 1,500 different kinds of plants are nurtured in the gardens of Bensley’s house, in Bangkok
Bensley’s house is befitting of his design nous
Starchitecture
36 The LeeLa Magazine – WinTer 2013