Bali 'Village' Hotel Potato Heads Studio

An essential essence of Bali lies in the collision of different cultures. However, the prevailing resort types and various tropical tourist attractions in Bali today emphasize the tourist experience while completely separating visitors' vacation life from the local community. The project is located on the last undeveloped stretch of Seminyak Beach in Bali, with the design principle of maximum integration into the local community, challenging the typical resort types currently found on the island and the sense of separation they create. Potato Head Studios is one of three buildings in Desa Potato Head, where desa means village in Indonesian, and is entirely open to the public. The other two buildings are another hotel and a beach club. The new Potato Head Studios provides public spaces while also housing a series of infrastructure and private guest rooms. The architects designed a floating ring volume supported by pilotis to accommodate the hotel's private rooms, exhibition spaces, and a large sunset-view bar. This spatial strategy lifts the building above the ground, creating a shaded public space beneath that connects to the beach and the surrounding community. The design challenges the typical gated resort model by making the site accessible to locals and tourists alike, blurring the boundary between hotel and public space. The project demonstrates how hospitality architecture can be a civic as well as commercial asset, rooted in the local community rather than insulated from it.