Project Title: Ka Lawanda – Resort in Aswan
("Ka" meaning Homeland, "Lawanda" meaning Pleasant Scent in Nubian dialect)
Ka Lawanda is a sensory healing resort designed to revive the aromatic botanical traditions of Aswan through an architecture rooted in climate resilience, cultural continuity, and multi-sensory therapy. Situated atop the rolling terrain of the Nubian landscape, the project reclaims neglected hills once used for native aromatic cultivation, transforming them into an experiential journey of spatial and ecological healing.
The masterplan is organized into three terraced clusters, each anchored by a central courtyard that serves a distinct therapeutic function — the Sensory Garden Court, Yoga and Meditation Court, and Floral Hydrotherapy Court. The architecture responds to site-specific topography, cascading organically down the slope and embracing the natural contours to preserve land identity and water behavior. Each cluster incorporates traditional Nubian construction principles, reinterpreted through modern environmental strategies: vaulted mud brick forms, thick thermal walls, low-e glazing, and passive ventilation systems.
At the heart of the experience is the integration of native aromatic plants — lavender, marjoram, basil, lemongrass, and wild mint — not as ornamental vegetation but as programmatic drivers of wellness. Their placement is intentional: basil in meditation spaces for clarity, lavender in sleeping quarters for calm, lemongrass in courtyards for purification. The scent becomes a wayfinding tool, a therapeutic stimulant, and a spatial memory trigger.
The circulation strategy choreographs this sensorial immersion — winding, shaded alleys; stepped ramps embedded in the slope; and moments of pause through aromatic courtyards and filtered skylight niches. The resort is intentionally porous, allowing wind, light, and scent to guide the visitor’s experience.
Public functions such as a local herbal souq, workshops, healing lounges, and storytelling terraces are arranged around the base plaza to foster cultural exchange and community participation. Water features — reflecting pools, misting walls, and hydrotherapy ponds — are strategically used to cool, reflect, and engage the senses while being fed through a closed-loop greywater recycling system.
The architectural language fuses minimalism with heritage. Façade treatments feature local stone cladding with carved triangular Nubian motifs, while doors, balconies, and window frames are color-coded by cluster (crimson red, buttery yellow, botanical turquoise, and lavender purple), echoing the plant typologies they surround.
Ka Lawanda is more than a retreat — it is a model for contextual, therapeutic architecture that restores both land and lifestyle, reconnecting people with ancestral knowledge through multisensory design, environmental integrity, and spatial storytelling.
