Architects and designers have control over our setting and by changing the way we design buildings, can shift our physical relationship with the environment. Tomislav Alujević and his award-winning team at studio Aalto have become a distinctive choice for hoteliers and owners of luxury properties throughout the Mediterranean looking to create destinations with the utmost respect for nature and nurture. The Split-based architecture studio has recently been recognized by the Luxury Lifestyle Awards and has named Aalto as a 2021 Winner in the category Best Luxury Architect Studio in Croatia.

High-end hospitality developers looking to build a natural facade with minimal intrusion and supreme ambiance, need to look no further. The team has worked together for over fifteen years and as a collective has the utmost respect for the environment; not only for the site location but with every raw material used throughout the build.

Their design approach is to keep as much of the Mediterranean landscape as possible and to integrate the architecture as such. Their ultimate objective is to conceptualize a ‘dialogue’ between interior and exterior design, ensuring seamless integration between the indoors and outdoors.

The team of Studio Aalto believes that climate change requires a paradigm shift in architectural language and that they have a responsibility to think critically about how they are impacting the environment.

One of their most recent projects, is the MASLINA RESORT, a luxury 5-star seaside boutique hotel. Set amongst unaffected nature overlooking the scenic Maslinica Bay on Hvar Island the resort stretches over 2 hectares of pine forest and is surrounded by olive groves and terraced vineyards.

The result was a cluster of six interconnected pavilions overlooking the Adriatic Sea which created an illusion of a floating landscape. The use of locally sourced materials such as local Brac Island stone, Iroko wood, brushed brass, and tones of terracotta harmonized with the natural color scheme of the landscape. Custom-made interiors and handpicked vintage pieces complete the space, ultimately designed with the guest in mind.

This ingenious team of designers approaches every single project with the utmost respect for traditional architecture and the “genius loci” of the structure whilst reinterpreting the construction in a contemporary way. Bringing the discipline of architecture into the next millennium.