Integrating built form and environment

The unique coastal landscape of Gnarabup is a significant part of the appeal of the planned resort and village. Sensitivity to both the site’s natural beauty and the character of the surrounding area has been a central focus of our design.

Our overall vision is to provide an outstanding tourism destination set within an authentic coastal community, with a variety of accommodation styles to cater for a wide range of tourists and local residents.

Westin Margaret River Resort & Spa design

The Westin Margaret River Resort & Spa will incorporate a 121-room, five-star resort hotel. With a landscaped environment designed to nestle into its stunning natural surroundings, the resort brings a world-class, five-star tourism experience to Gnarabup. Importantly, the design achieves this without imposing on the things we all love about Gnarabup: the beach, the landscape and the local character.

The resort includes:

For detailed design information, see the plans for the Westin Margaret River Resort & Spa.

Gnarabup Village design

The Gnarabup Village is spread over four lots covering 4.3 ha of land. We have designed it to complement its surroundings in terms of both the natural beauty of the landscape and the distinctive character of the Gnarabup community. It will include:

For detailed information, see the plans for the Gnarabup Village.

The design team

Christou’s design for the Westin continues a long and successful track record in producing sensitive coastal architecture, including the Samphire Hotel Rottnest, Scarborough Beach Pool and City Beach Surf Club.

Spaceagency are a design-driven architectural practice. Their design for the Gnarabup Village draws on extensive experience in community-focused residential design and hospitality/tourism projects. Their recent residential projects include the Knutsford Precinct and Beachside Leighton. Spaceagency’s hospitality projects include the Premier Mill Hotel (Katanning), the Northam Hotel and the Alex Hotel.

Emerge provides site-responsive landscape architecture and environmental consulting services to plan, design, integrate, resolve, manage and achieve maximised outcomes for the site, their clients, the community and the environment.

HOTEL ENTRY

HOTEL OVERVIEW

POOL

POOL TERRACE

PANORAMA

COMMUNITY PARK

VILLAS

PUBLIC SPACE

COMMUNITY VILLAGE SQUARE

VILLA OVERVIEW

VILLAS

Design FAQs

What are the heights of the buildings in the development?

The height limit for the hotel site is 7 m above natural ground level. This height limit traces the natural ground level and follows the topography of the land, allowing the development to be nestled into the landscape.

The Gnarabup Village height limits are a mix of 5.5 m, 6.5 m and 8 m in various locations, as mandated in the Gnarabup Beach Structure Plan.

What are the materials being used in the buildings?

The design for the hotel site includes a palette of materials inspired by the natural coastal surroundings – limestone, timber, concrete and rammed earth, as well as feature copper elements.

The Gnarabup Village is predominantly rammed earth and white bagged brickwork with feature timber, which also takes its cues from the surrounding landscape.

Does the development comply with regulations relating to height and setbacks?

Yes. The project fully complies with all height and setback regulations.

What is the density of the Gnarabup Village?

The village includes 51 beach villas available for short-stay accommodation and a coastal community hub that is a mix of four townhouses and 25 apartments. The hub includes a café/general store and two ground-floor commercial spaces. There will be a combination of tourists and permanent residents in the village at any point in time.

Though there is no R-code applicable to this site, the overall density on the Gnarabup Village land translates to an R-code zoning of approximately R17.5. This notional R17.5 density means that, under the current plans, there are 17.5 dwellings per hectare of village land.

By comparison, the residential area of Gnarabup directly behind the village (Marmaduke Point Drive and Laurina Place) also has an R17.5 zoning. This means that all of the village land is the same density as the residential area of Gnarabup immediately behind it.

Is the hotel dependant on the short-stay residential accommodation?

No. The hotel is an independent project and construction will commence in line with the first stage of the village. The remaining stages of the village will commence construction once the hotel is complete.

Who are the architects and what is their experience?

The project design team consists of national award-winning architects Christou Design Group, spaceagency and landscape architects Emerge. Each practice has been selected for their proven ability to create exceptional hospitality, tourism and residential projects with a focus on community, character and sustainability.

Will I be able to buy a beach villa?

The villas will be available to individuals to purchase and you can register your interest by joining our mailing list.

How long will construction take and who is the builder?

Once the project is approved, we will appoint a builder and we anticipate that construction will take place in the following stages:

Stage 1:

Lot 738 (Westin Margaret River Resort & Spa) will take 24 months to construct.
Lot 501 will take 14 months to construct.
Lot 504 will take 18 months to construct.

Lot 501 and 504 will commence together with Lot 738.

Stage 2:

Lot 502 will take 14 months to construct and will commence following completion of stage 1.

Stage 3:

Lot 503 will take 14 months to construct and will commence following completion of stage 2.

Keep up to date with the Gnarabup Project

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