Bill Bensley and exotic resorts are often associated with one another. Rightly so, as this lanky Southern Californian is responsible for some of the world’s most beautiful and environmentally friendly sanctuaries, several of which are located in this region. (Think Four Seasons Chiangmai and Koh Samui and Indigo Pearl in Phuket.) Margie T Logarta chatted with the landscape designer-turned-architect about his favourite projects and the challenge of going minimalist.
YOU’VE DESIGNED SOME OF THE LOVELIEST RESORT PROJECTS WE HAVE SEEN, AND YOU COULD HAVE THE PICK OF THE BEST ROOMS IN THE HOUSE WHEN YOU STAY IN THEM. WHAT KIND OF ROOM DO YOU USUALLY REQUEST FOR?
I ask to stay in the problematic room so I can work on it.
YOU’RE TIED TO YOUR PROJECTS FOREVER, IS THAT IT?
It could be in my contract, and sometimes it isn’t. If it’s not, I do it as a favour to the client. Sometimes, I ask to be put in the Presidential Suite. With Four Seasons Chiangmai, I have a long-term relationship. Every year, the owner gives us a budget to spend on anything we like to improve things. He pays us to come up here and look after the place. Now that’s nice.
WHEN YOU DO GO ON VACATION, WHAT DO YOU LIKE DOING?
I go fishing to clear my head. I was in Patagonia when I heard about the tsunami in December 2005.
WHAT’S THE FIRST THING YOU DO WHEN YOU’RE IN A NEW PLACE?
Cultural stuff – visit an old house or garden, temple, palace. See architecture that’s been there for a long time. Then, I hit the bookshops.
DID YOU ALWAYS LOVE TO GARDEN?
I’ve always wanted to tend the earth and make beautiful things grow from it. (Editor’s note: Bensley was four when his father taught him how to grip a hoe.) I would tend the gardens of all my neighbours, mow their lawns and plant their flowers, all the way up and down the street.
WHAT’S THE NEXT BIG THING TO EXPECT IN RESORTS?
I predict rooms will become larger in area, and that includes the bathrooms. I think there will be more effort to save energy and push designs incorporating more cross ventilation. Our company is doing that now with the InterContinental Danang. Since it’s by the beach, there is constantly a cool wind but if it’s still, you just have to turn on the fan and it’s fine. And there’s also no glazing in the rooms.
WHAT ABOUT DESIGNING FOR CITY LIVING? CAN SOMETHING BE DONE THAT DOESN’T USE TOO MUCH AC?
Right now we are working on (what will be) the tallest garden in the world. For the Ambani family home in Mumbai (owned by Reliance Industry’s chairman Mukesh Ambani). It will be located on top of a 33-storey building.
WHAT’S YOUR HOUSE LIKE?
Oh, it’s just a small house on half a hectare of land along Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok. But it has a verandah that wraps all the way around it, which is the heart of the house. That’s where we spend most of our time. And we have a big garden and nursery.
DOES MINIMALISM APPEAL TO YOU?
We went minimalist last summer, throwing out everything till it was bare bones. Then, after three months, we had all the new things back in again.
