Canyon Point, Utah
Amangiri
LESS IS MORE IN THE DESERT
Fueled by the early success of Dunton, Christoph and Bernt decided to look for a property in the Southwest, with the idea to develop another iconic high-end resort in the famous Four Corners’ Region of the American West. It would reflect what visitors to these lands of red rocks, and vast deserts would expect to see, and experience.
The land they found was spectacular, and presented them with a ‘clean slate’. There were no existing structures, and they reminded themselves that the Southwest with its wide-open spaces, had inspired much contemporary architecture in the past, including works by Frank Lloyd Wright, Will Bruder and Richard Neutra. Christoph and Bernt, ended up controlling 2,000 acres of pristine desert, and the dramatic rock formations surrounding it.
To help them create ‘deep content’, they brought three independent architects onboard: Rick Joy, Wendell Burnette and Marwan Al Sayed, all three based in Arizona. The architects agreed to work as a team, and their design was driven by what they knew of ancient desert structures, both in the U.S. and around the world.
Eight years later Amangiri opened to the public. Since then, much has been written about it, as it remains a destination with no competition.
"With a batch plant on-site, we were able to use the desert sand for the massive concrete structures that are Amangiri, leaving them like chiseled geometric extensions of the rock surrounding them. With a “canvas” of two thousand acres of desert and rock to ‘draw’ on, Amangiri – with just thirty-four guest units – is a powerful example of ‘Less is more. Access was programmed to include a long sequence of arrival with the resort itself not visible until the very last moment."