Designing with Nature: One Landscape Team’s Journey Around the Aegean Coast

“Our team recently had the privilege of exploring a series of extraordinary sites across Türkiye as part of our work on an exciting new development. Guided by a client who truly understands the transformative power of landscape design, we set out to connect with the natural beauty and spirit of the region.

We immersed ourselves in diverse environments, working alongside local nursery experts to study how native plants have evolved to thrive in a constantly changing climate, and how their resilience and beauty could inspire our design.

This journey reaffirmed our commitment, as landscape architects, to create environments where the hotel and its surroundings exist in dialogue.”

– Karla Steele, Project Landscape Architect

Bodrum, often referred to as the “Pearl of the Aegean Coast,” is rapidly becoming a hub for luxury resorts, drawing international visitors with its natural charm. Joining this distinguished landscape is a destination that harmoniously integrates contemporary luxury with the site’s rich historical and ecological context.

Set across elevated terrain, the resort embraces sweeping views toward Kara Ada (“Black Island”), unfolding through a sequence of infinity pools, stone-clad terraces, and thoughtfully oriented buildings that frame the horizon and celebrate the spirit of place.

Following a long-standing collaboration with the client, we were appointed to lead the project with a mandate to refine the masterplan and elevate the resort’s design. Our scope encompasses the complete redesign of all key hotel components, including family and adult pools, spa, beach club, private beach, speciality restaurant, sports facilities, events garden, kids’ club, and teens’ club. The development program comprises 45 luxury villas, 127 hotel keys, and 32 branded residences.

From a landscape perspective, the resort demands a design language that is both robust and refined; one that complements the brand’s hallmark of unparalleled luxury while celebrating the inherent beauty of the site. The masterplan emphasizes both guest experience and environmental stewardship, integrating the resort’s buildings seamlessly into the challenging topography while safeguarding the shoreline’s ecological integrity. Our landscape design aims to cultivate a sense of tranquillity and sanctuary, enhancing and protecting the natural beauty that defines this remarkable part of Türkiye.

Our vision is to seamlessly weave nature into the hotel’s layout, creating distinct zones that balance openness with privacy. Central to this vision is timing: the landscape must feel mature and complete from the first day the resort welcomes its guests. Unlike many developments where planting is introduced late, here the landscape plays an essential, immediate role in shaping the guest experience.

Planting zones have been carefully planned with growth cycles in mind, ensuring that key areas of discretion, such as guest rooms and spa spaces, are naturally screened and softened from the outset.

Our recent site visit offered a rare opportunity to engage deeply with this complex and rewarding brief. Collaborating closely with local nurseries, we explored plant species, growth patterns, and site conditions to craft a landscape that feels both authentically of its place and perfectly timed for the resort’s opening.

The landscape design team (including Demet Karaoglu, Kexin Weng and Melike Tugce Simsek) travelled to Bodrum to visit the resort site, the starting point of an intensive six-day journey across Türkiye’s southern and western coasts. Each day was spent exploring local nurseries, studying the region’s unique flora, and gaining first-hand insight into the character and resilience of the native landscape. Evenings were spent travelling to the next destination, reflecting on what we had seen and how it could inform the project ahead.

We were joined by key members of the client team, and the experience quickly evolved into a genuinely collaborative exchange. By sharing our vision and insights, we carried this shared perspective into every nursery visit, ensuring that each design decision was firmly rooted in both local knowledge and the project’s overarching objectives.

The itinerary was largely shaped by the local terrain, with nurseries selected for proximity to the site; a strategic choice to minimize potential climate adaptation challenges. Each nursery had its own unique character: some cultivated vast lawns spanning hectares, while others focused on specific flowers, shrubs, or perennials.

Our goal was to gain a deep understanding of local vegetation, reducing the need for complex growth planning and helping manage import costs. While much of the planting can be sourced locally, certain species require international delivery. Understanding lead times from local nurseries, who coordinate these shipments, is essential, as it allows us to test plant survival, ensure proper growth, and guarantee that the landscape blooms as envisioned on opening day.

For example, successfully transporting a mature tree is a delicate process. It requires careful consideration of transport logistics, pruning for travel, and factoring in regrowth periods. Equally important is mapping which areas of the hotel require fully established planting at opening and which zones can accommodate an additional season of growth.

These details are critical to the success of a landscape design. Working with nature requires respecting its timelines, and careful planning ensures the resort’s landscape is sustainable and spectacular from day one.

The work didn’t stop once we returned to our London office. Energized by the site visit and inspired by fresh ideas, we continue to collaborate closely with the client team, ensuring that planting is meticulously specified, delivered on schedule, and thrives for years to come.

Further site visits will monitor progress and fine-tune the landscape. For areas planted immediately, regular pruning and maintenance are essential to maintain balanced growth and overall plant health. Caring for the vegetation is an ongoing process; one that continues long after our initial design work is complete.

By selecting regionally adapted species and planning for long-term resilience, we create planting schemes that require less intervention, deliver lasting beauty, and ultimately save our client both time and resources. This thoughtful, forward-looking approach ensures the resort’s grounds flourish from day one and remain a defining feature of the guest experience for years to come.