GEM VALLEY: VILLAGE BIRTHED IN NATURE
The Gem Valley 4 Seasons Mountain Village is the convergence of visceral natural beauty and human design ingenuity.
By sculpting structures that at once highlight the raw primeval landscapes of the Altai mountain range, whilst also mitigating manmade presence, NDA is creating an astonishing mountain village that is a monument to nature and minimalist human impact therein.
And with the Gem Valley 4 Seasons Mountain Village sitting adjacent to the Keketuohai UNESCO Geopark, there is good reason why the human impact is minimal. This region is a rare site of natural wonders that include non-renewable geological resources, and rich wildlife, including the elusive snow leopard.
This project is already going ahead at full speed, with several ski lifts already in operation, and the first skiers have been enjoying incredible skiing since late October 2021.
Sitting in the Chinese part of the Altai Mountain Range yet close to the Russian, Mongolian and Kazakh borders and 15km drive from the nearest town, the locale’s uniquely nomadic heritage and visceral landscape gives NDA the opportunity to create a village unlike any other.
Elements
A core NDA value is to honour locality and we absolutely know the landscapes must take centre stage of the project, but our approach must be truly holistic to highlight the within and the without; the Gem Valley 4 Seasons Mountain Village is not just about nature and cultural heritage, but the intangible feelings of remoteness and stillness only a place so isolated can bring.
No matter the season, the connection to raw nature is incredibly powerful and underpins the entire project. “Visceral“, ”primeval“ and "astonishing”, these are just some of the words to describe the location and help envisage the tapestry we weave.
Design
With one glance the architectural design is a clear tribute to the landscape. The long swooping roofs mimic the vast mountain ranges that stretch as far as the eye can see and sparsely laid out buildings reflect the spartan nature of this part of the world.
Each structure was designed to blend in, mitigating changes to the natural landscape as much as possible. With huge windows the separation between the inside and the outside is minimal, making that connection to nature ever easier.
Finally, incorporating local raw materials means guests retain a meaningful connection with the environment. This careful use of local materials also keeps the project’s carbon footprint down.
NDA Vison
We see experiencing nature itself as nourishment. It’s an intangible sense of getting back to earth, a feeling impossible to describe but innately felt. Thus, we designed the visitor experience to be a deeper entry into nature at every step.
Enroute to the resort one marvels at the primal landscapes, with stark summits that cut into the sky in winter and rolling green hills that reach up to the heavens in the summer. Upon arrival one is struck by wonder that a manmade property can be so naturally blended into its surroundings and yet retain its own distinctive architectural design.
With deliberately few spaces for accommodation and a great many activities to engage in, NDA realized a vision to both preserve the natural environment whilst simultaneously allowing visitors to understand nature in ever deeper ways.