Interviews with POTIROPOULOS and PARTNERS

Arboris Hotel challenges the conventional hospitality model by rejecting the notion of the hotel as a dominant object placed onto a site. Instead, the project was conceived as an extension of the Zlatibor landscape, where architecture, ecology, and user experience operate as an integrated system. From the earliest stages of design, our objective was not only to minimize environmental impact but to create a hospitality environment that actively contributes to the ecological and experiential quality of its surroundings. This approach is expressed through a series of interconnected strategies. The timber louver façades, inspired by the rhythm and density of Zlatibor’s forests, provide solar protection, improve energy performance, and create a dynamic relationship between the buildings and their environment through light, shadow, and reflection. The extensive green roofs further blur the boundary between built and natural conditions, enhancing thermal performance while visually extending the plateau across the architecture itself. At ground level, permeable surfaces composed of natural and recycled materials support water infiltration, reduce runoff, and minimize the environmental footprint of the development. The landscape is organized around a large lake that serves both as a visual anchor and as an ecological component contributing to microclimatic regulation. Together, these elements redefine hospitality architecture as a framework for coexistence rather than consumption—one that prioritizes environmental continuity, local identity, and a deeper connection between visitors and the natural world. Rather than occupying the landscape, Arboris Hotel becomes part of it.

While Arboris Hotel originates from a strong conceptual response to the natural formations of Stopića Cave, generative and parametric methodologies played an essential role in transforming this initial inspiration into a coherent and high-performing architectural system. Computational design was not used to generate form for its own sake, but as a tool for testing relationships between geometry, landscape, environmental performance, and user experience. The circular geometry of the three volumes provided a flexible framework that could be parametrically adjusted according to multiple site-specific variables. Through iterative digital modeling, we were able to evaluate the positioning, dimensions, and spacing of the rings in relation to topography, views, solar exposure, circulation patterns, and the desired balance between openness and enclosure. Rather than relying on a single fixed composition, the design evolved through a process of continuous refinement, where modifications to one parameter could immediately reveal their impact on the overall spatial organization. Algorithmic thinking was particularly valuable in understanding how the three ring-shaped volumes could operate as both independent buildings and components of a larger environmental system. It allowed us to test visual corridors, optimize panoramic orientations, study daylight penetration into the courtyards, and assess the integration of landscape elements within and around the complex. This process helped validate the project's central ambition: creating an architecture that is highly legible and formally distinctive while remaining deeply responsive to the natural conditions of Zlatibor. The resulting composition is therefore not only inspired by nature but also informed by a rigorous, data-driven exploration of how architecture and landscape can function together as a unified whole.

We believe that Arboris Hotel contributes to the broader discourse on architecture and landscape by proposing a relationship based on integration rather than occupation. Too often, buildings in sensitive natural environments are conceived as autonomous objects that are subsequently placed within a landscape. In contrast, Arboris Hotel was developed from the premise that the landscape itself should become a primary generator of architectural form, spatial organization, material expression, and user experience.The project demonstrates that environmental responsiveness can extend beyond technical sustainability measures and become a fundamental design principle. The circular volumes, inspired by local geological formations, the timber façades that echo the surrounding forests, the green roofs that visually reconnect the buildings with the plateau, and the landscape system organized around water and vegetation all work together to create a continuous dialogue between the built and natural environment. Rather than competing with the site, the architecture seeks to reveal and amplify its qualities. The recognition from the A’ Design Award is particularly meaningful because it highlights the growing importance of context-driven and environmentally embedded design within contemporary architectural practice. It signals a broader shift in the discipline, where success is increasingly measured not only by formal innovation but also by the ability to establish meaningful relationships with place. For the future of hospitality design, we see this as an encouraging direction. As travelers become more conscious of environmental impact and increasingly seek authentic connections with local landscapes, hospitality architecture has an opportunity to evolve from a model of consumption toward one of engagement, stewardship, and coexistence. Arboris Hotel aspires to contribute to that evolution by demonstrating how architecture can enhance the experience of nature while remaining deeply respectful of it.

One of the most significant challenges in the design of Arboris Hotel was reconciling two ambitions that initially appeared to be in tension: creating a fully functional hospitality destination capable of supporting a rich and diverse visitor experience, while preserving the ecological character and perceptual openness of the Zlatibor plateau. Hotels, by their nature, require a considerable programmatic density, clear circulation systems, service infrastructure, and a strong identity. At the same time, the landscape demanded restraint, continuity, and respect for its existing qualities. Rather than treating these requirements as opposing forces, the design process gradually revealed opportunities for integration. The circular organization emerged as a response to this challenge, allowing us to concentrate the program while maintaining visual permeability and a strong relationship with the surrounding environment. Instead of a single large building footprint, the program was distributed across three interconnected volumes, reducing the perceived scale of the development and creating spaces where landscape could penetrate deeply into the architectural composition. Another important tension concerned the balance between exposure and shelter. The plateau offers remarkable panoramic views, yet hospitality environments also require moments of intimacy and protection. This led to the development of the internal courtyards and the central outdoor core, which create sheltered environments without disconnecting visitors from nature. Perhaps the most valuable lesson was that environmental sensitivity extends beyond minimizing impact. Throughout the process, we came to understand that architecture could actively strengthen the experience of the landscape. This realization shifted the project from being a hotel placed within nature to becoming a framework through which nature is experienced, interpreted, and revealed. In many ways, resolving these tensions ultimately became the project's defining architectural idea.

The concepts of hiding, revealing, and engaging emerged early in the design process as we studied not only the physical characteristics of Zlatibor, but also the way people experience natural landscapes. We were interested in creating an architecture that unfolds gradually rather than presenting itself all at once. The inspiration came from the experience of moving through forests, across changing terrain, and into geological formations such as Stopića Cave, where perception is constantly shaped by sequences of concealment and discovery. Translating these ideas into architecture required us to think of the project as a choreographed journey rather than a collection of buildings. The three circular volumes were strategically arranged to create a layered spatial experience, where views, pathways, and moments of encounter are carefully framed without becoming overly prescriptive. As visitors move through the complex, perspectives continuously shift: some views open toward the distant landscape, while others focus on intimate courtyards, vegetation, water, or sheltered outdoor spaces. The central courtyard plays a particularly important role in this narrative. Rather than functioning as a simple open space, it acts as a transitional landscape where architecture and nature intersect. The courtyards within the ring-shaped buildings further reinforce this experience by bringing light, vegetation, and sky deep into the interior, creating moments of unexpected connection with the natural environment. Throughout the design process, movement became a primary design tool. The network of paths, planted areas, gathering spaces, and viewing points was organized to encourage exploration and personal interpretation. Instead of dictating a single route, the project allows each visitor to construct their own experience through a sequence of gradual spatial discoveries. In this way, architecture becomes less an object to be observed and more a medium through which the landscape is continuously revealed and reinterpreted.

Arboris Hotel represents more than a single design proposal; it embodies a broader architectural approach that we believe will continue to inform our future work. At its core is the conviction that architecture should emerge from a deep understanding of place—not only its physical characteristics, but also its ecological systems, cultural identity, and experiential qualities. In Arboris, the geometry, materiality, and landscape strategy are all derived from specific conditions of Zlatibor. This process reinforced our belief that meaningful innovation often arises not from imposing new forms onto a site, but from carefully interpreting and transforming the inherent logic of a place into architecture. Looking ahead, we see this approach becoming increasingly relevant as environmental concerns and the protection of natural resources become central challenges for the profession. Projects such as Arboris demonstrate that sustainability and strong architectural identity are not opposing objectives. On the contrary, environmental responsiveness can become a powerful generator of form, experience, and spatial character. We also hope the project contributes to a broader shift in how hospitality developments are conceived. Rather than viewing natural landscapes as scenic backdrops for architectural interventions, clients and designers can begin to understand them as active participants in the design process. This requires moving beyond conventional metrics of development toward a more holistic understanding of environmental integration, long-term resilience, and user experience. If Arboris has an influence, we hope it will encourage a model of hospitality architecture that is less focused on occupying landscapes and more focused on revealing, preserving, and enhancing them. In fragile natural environments, the future of design lies not in creating greater separation between architecture and nature, but in cultivating more intelligent and meaningful forms of coexistence.

If there is one aspect of Arboris Hotel that we feel deserves greater attention, it is not a specific formal, technical, or environmental feature, but rather the project's underlying philosophical position regarding the relationship between architecture, landscape, and experience. While the circular geometry, bioclimatic strategies, material choices, and computational design methodologies are important components of the project, they are ultimately in service of a broader ambition: creating an architecture that acts as a mediator rather than a protagonist. Contemporary discussions about sustainability often focus on measurable performance indicators, which are undoubtedly important. However, we believe that an equally significant challenge is cultural and perceptual. The question is not only how architecture reduces its environmental impact, but also how it changes the way people perceive and engage with the natural world. In Arboris Hotel, many design decisions were guided by this idea. The sequence of movement, the framing of views, the interplay between openness and enclosure, and the gradual transitions between interior and exterior spaces were all intended to cultivate a heightened awareness of the surrounding landscape. What we hope the international design community recognizes is that environmental integration is not solely a technical achievement. It is also an experiential and emotional one. Architecture has the capacity to strengthen a user's connection to place, encouraging a deeper understanding of local ecologies, topographies, and natural processes. In this sense, Arboris Hotel is perhaps best understood not simply as a hospitality project, but as an exploration of how architecture can become a framework for environmental awareness. If the project contributes anything to contemporary discourse, we hope it is the idea that the most sustainable architecture may not be the one that draws the most attention to itself, but the one that helps us see and appreciate the landscape more clearly.

The circular courtyards were among the most important spatial devices in Arboris Hotel because they embody one of the project's central ambitions: dissolving the conventional boundary between architecture and landscape. From the beginning, they were conceived not simply as open-air voids, but as environmental and experiential spaces capable of bringing light, vegetation, air, and seasonal change into the heart of the buildings. The calibration of their proportions was driven by a careful balance between openness and enclosure. A courtyard that is too large risks losing the sense of intimacy and protection that characterizes the overall concept, while one that is too small limits daylight penetration and visual connectivity. Through an iterative design process, we studied the relationship between the height of the ring-shaped volumes and the diameter of the courtyards to achieve a comfortable spatial scale that would feel both expansive and sheltered. Orientation and environmental performance were equally important considerations. The circular geometry naturally allows light to enter from multiple directions throughout the day, creating constantly changing patterns of illumination and shadow. Rather than privileging a single view or solar exposure, the courtyards were designed to capture the dynamic qualities of the Zlatibor climate, allowing occupants to experience variations in light, weather, and season as an integral part of everyday life. Material boundaries also played a crucial role. Transparent and semi-transparent transitions between interior spaces and the courtyards were carefully integrated to maintain visual continuity while preserving comfort and functionality. Vegetation within the courtyards reinforces this connection, transforming them into living landscape fragments rather than conventional architectural atriums. Ultimately, the success of the courtyards lies in their ambiguity. They are neither purely interior nor exterior spaces, but intermediate environments where natural and built conditions coexist. By continuously mediating between light, landscape, climate, and human occupation, they become essential to the project's broader vision of architecture as an extension of the natural environment rather than a separation from it.

The methodology behind Arboris Hotel began with observation rather than form-making. Our first objective was to understand the intrinsic qualities of the Zlatibor landscape and identify spatial principles embedded within its natural systems. In the case of Stopića Cave, what captured our attention was not merely the visual appearance of the limestone basins, but the processes that produced them and the spatial relationships they generated. These formations are simultaneously individual and interconnected, creating a sequence of distinct yet continuous environments shaped by natural forces over time. The transition from geological observation to architectural organization occurred through a process of abstraction. Rather than replicating the cave's forms, we extracted the underlying spatial logic of circularity, continuity, enclosure, and connection. This logic became the basis for a series of parametric studies through which the dimensions, positioning, and relationships of the circular volumes could be tested against site-specific conditions such as topography, views, solar exposure, circulation, and landscape integration. Computational tools were essential in this process, but they were never the starting point. Instead, they functioned as instruments for evaluating and refining an idea rooted in the sensory and environmental realities of the site. The role of parametric thinking was to help translate a conceptual framework into a performative architectural system capable of accommodating the complexity of a contemporary hospitality program. Perhaps the most important lesson from this process is that computational design becomes most meaningful when it is grounded in a deep reading of place. Natural systems should not be understood as sources of formal imagery alone, but as repositories of organizational intelligence. When designers begin with the experiential, ecological, and spatial qualities of a landscape, computational methodologies can become powerful tools for uncovering and amplifying those qualities rather than replacing them. In Arboris Hotel, technology did not generate the concept; it helped reveal and develop the latent potential already present within the landscape itself.