Mission Hills Group and San Francisco’s celebrated S.B. Architects create one of the biggest spas in the world on Hainan Island.
Granted that one always speaks in superlatives of China – everything is huge in every which way, but here’s a Spa that deserves accolades for its absolutely unique concept and dramatic design. Covering an incredible area of 21 acres, and set in a veritable garden of Eden with 168 volcanic hot springs and treatment areas, the massive Spa and was remarkably built in just two years.
Spa Mantra speaks with Scott Lee, President and Principal, S.B. Architects, a 50 year old San Francisco based company noted for their residential and luxury properties about the concept and design, and the challenges of building this mega project.
Sandhya Chipalkatti: You are the man of the moment having just commissioned one of the largest spa destinations in the world at Mission Hills. What was your brief from the Mission Hills management?
Scott Lee: This project is very important to our client, the Mission Hills Group. Their primary goal for this project was to establish an iconic presence that epitomizes the height of destination development in China, and puts Hainan Island – and Haikou in particular – on the map as one of the world’s primary destinations. We were fortunate to work with a talented team and a visionary client – Dr. Chu, and Richard Want and Peggy Liong provided the constant communication, collaboration and deep understanding of their market that made this ambitious development possible.
Our design brief was really comprised of two objectives: design an exclusive spa for the guests of the existing adjacent hotel (Mission Hills, Haiku), while simultaneously creating an expansive destination spa experience for outside visitors. The key goal was to simultaneously develop a design for these two complementary functions in a way that allowed each to function to its unique and separate potential, yet also present a holistic overall experience.
We accomplished this goal in several ways. We designed an overall spa experience that is an international journey through the best spa experiences in the world. Within that journey, we created key destination points. The initial arrival sequence – the iconic main spa structure and the raised bamboo walkway that runs the length of the property provides a deep connection to the nature and culture of Hainan and Southern China. In this way, we were able to create a vision for one of the largest spas in the world that nonetheless provides an intimate, meaningful and holistic destination experience.
How large was the property and what were its complexities?
The scale of this project was a moving target – when we began, it was with a smaller program. As the team got more enthusiastic about the project, it expanded in every way, growing in overall scale, number of treatment rooms, expanse of hot springs, and so on, to become what it is today.
Your company SB Architects worked along with landscape designers EDSA, on the project. Did you plan the entire design of the property together? What was your scope of work?
The design solution for our work at Mission Hills Haikou was truly a consensus between planner, architect and client. From our very early work envisioning what this place would be, the vision for the Volcanic Mineral Springs and Spa at Mission Hills Haikou was to create a seamlessly integrated experience of the outdoor and indoor elements. To create a cohesive experience, we needed a cohesive vision and a collaborative team – both of which we were fortunate to have from the beginning. Our long relationship with EDSA, the close proximity of our Florida offices, our familiarity with tropical island resorts, and our professional and personal relationships created an unmatched vision and synergy. As a result, it is truly difficult to discern where landscape stops and architecture starts. Rich Centolella and Dave Armbruster, both key leaders of the EDSA team, are visionaries.
Your design for Mission Hills is very contemporary yet it has the sensibilities of its location. What have you specifically done to achieve this?
The sheer scale of this project is in and of itself contemporary, as is the thematic repetition of key design elements, (circular forms, soaring bamboo structures topping the main spa and walkway), dramatic lighting, and purity of forms. Essentially, we took classical, historical forms and materials and arranged them in a contemporary or modern way.
Read the full version of this story at emag.spamantra.in Issue 7 Page 80
Where do I get started on my FAQ page? When I built my first website, I had no idea even what a faq was…..So I skipped that page! Now that I know what it is…..I highly recommend you not to skip your Frequently Asked Questions page! This page is directed to help your vistors at your website. Many website viewers end up having questions about the website they are visiting.
On your frequently asked questions (FAQ) page, you want to stop and think about what your questions or concerns might be when visiting your website. Think of what your website is about and imagine you knew nothing about it. There should be some questions that arise from that thought. You should now think about what question is more important to answer? Put this question and answer at the top of your list. Post the question and then the answer. Continue reading this page for a good example.
Officelive website users have the faq page layout ready for them. They just delete the text provided and insert their own questions and answers. Microsoft officelive has provided a wonderful set of questions that website users have when creating their faq pages.
Privacy policy
Welcome to www.spamantra.in (the “Site”), a website owned and controlled by C&E Pvt. Ltd (“C&E”, “we”, “us”, or “our”). We operate the Site, and C&E products and services made available through the Site (collectively the “Services”), which make link creation in copied and pasted content effortless to readers and, in certain cases, enables easier searches from copied content. We provide this privacy policy to let you know what information we collect, and how we use it, share it and protect it.
Privacy Practices for Visitors to the Spa Mantra Site
(a) The information we gather and how we use it: The Site is primarily directed to Publishers, although we welcome End Users who want to know more about our Services. We do not collect any PII from End Users through the provision of our services. When a Publisher signs up for our site, we will collect the Publisher’s e-mail address to enable us to offer the service. A single e-mail address from the Publisher is the only Personally Identifiable Information (“PII”) that we collect and we do this only to enable login to the site and to enable us to contact the Publishers that use our Services.
(b) Controlling our use of Publisher Login Information: If you have provided your email address when registering for our Site, you may modify that information at any time by visiting your account settings (https://id.C&E.com/account/account_settings). You can also delete your account at any time. You can opt out of receiving certain email communications from the Site by clicking the “Unsubscribe” link at the bottom of each email.
(c) Information Sharing: We will use a Publisher email address provided at login exclusively as follows:
With third parties if we have a good faith belief that access, use, or disclosure of such information is reasonably necessary to (a) satisfy applicable law, regulation, legal process or an enforceable governmental request, (b) enforce the applicable Terms of Service, including investigation of potential violations thereof, (c) detect, prevent, or otherwise address fraud, security or technical issues, or (d) protect against harm to the rights, property or safety of C&E, its users or the public as required or permitted by law.
In the event we go through a business transition such as a merger, acquisition by another company, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, the Publisher’s email address may be among the assets transferred.
Privacy Practices for End Users Who Visit Publisher Sites that have C&E Services Installed
We do not collect any PII from End Users who visit Publisher Sites.
We operate the Services, which make link creation in copied and pasted content effortless to readers and, in certain cases, which make searches from copied content easier. When you, an End User, copy content from a Publisher Site and paste it into another document, the Services that have been installed on the Publisher Site may, at the publishers discretion, automatically append a link back to the original content. When you visit a Publisher Site, we collect certain non-personally identifiable information (“Non-PII”) for use on our platform (the “C&E Platform”). We enable our Publishers to use this information via the Platform for analytics purposes, and we also use some of this information to market our products and services to you and those of third parties we believe may be of interest to you as described below.
(a) The information we gather and how we use it:
PII – We do not collect PII from End Users who visit a Publisher Site.
Non-PII – We collect Non-PII through the provision of Services for use on the C&E Platform. For example, when you visit a web page on a Publisher Site, our server logs may collect your Internet Protocol address, browser type, browser language, the date and time you visited that web page, and the web search that landed you on that web page. We may also collect information regarding what content you copy from the Publisher Site. Also, when you visit a Publisher Site, we will place a cookie onto your computer or other device. “Cookies” are small pieces of information that a website sends to your computer’s web browser while you are viewing a website. We use cookies to improve the quality of our Services, including identifying user preferences and interests and identifying user trends. We also use cookies to help advertisers and publishers serve more relevant ads to users.
(b) Controlling our use of your Non-PII: If you don’t want us to (i) enable C&E-generated links in connection with copied content, or (ii) track your Non-PII, you can opt-out by clicking the Opt Out button on this page. You will need to Opt-Out for each browser you use and have cookies enabled.
(c) Information Sharing: We share Non-PII with other companies or individuals as follows:
We use Non-PII to enable us to provide our Services to our Publisher partners. We also use Non-PII to enable advertisers to serve more relevant advertisements to their audience.
We share any information we have with third parties if we have a good faith belief that disclosure of such information is reasonably necessary to (a) satisfy applicable law, regulation, legal process or an enforceable governmental request, (b) enforce the applicable Terms of Service, including investigation of potential violations thereof, (c) detect, prevent, or otherwise address fraud, security or technical issues, or (d) protect against harm to the rights, property or safety of C&E, its End Users or the public as required or permitted by law.
In the event we go through a business transition such as a merger, acquisition by another company, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, we expect that any and all information that we have will be among the assets transferred.
In addition, we may aggregate your Non-PII with the Non-PII of others and share that aggregated information with third parties without restriction.
Information Security and Retention
We take reasonable security measures to protect against unauthorized access to or unauthorized alteration, disclosure or destruction of data. These include firewalls and encryption, internal reviews of our data collection, storage and processing practices and security measures, as well as physical security measures to guard against unauthorized access to systems.
We restrict access to Publisher email addresses to C&E employees, contractors and agents who need to know that information in order to operate, develop or improve our Services. These individuals are bound by confidentiality obligations and may be subject to discipline, including termination, if they fail to meet these obligations. However, we are unable to guarantee that the security measures we take will not be penetrated or compromised or that your information will remain secure under all circumstances.
We retain records of Publisher email addresses for as long as the Publsher maintains its account.
We retain detailed records of End User activity for a maximum of 90 days. Statistical summaries and data aggregations may be kept for longer periods.
Children
We do not knowingly collect or maintain PII from any individuals – especially individuals who are under 13 years of age, and no part of our Site or Services are designed to attract people under the age of 13. Protecting the privacy of children is very important to us. If we obtain knowledge that a user is under the age of 13, we will take steps to remove that user’s data from our databases.
Links to Other Sites
Our Site and Services contain links to, and allow you to share content on, third party websites and services. The fact that we link to a website or service or allow you to share content on them is not an endorsement, authorization or representation that we are affiliated with that third party, nor is it an endorsement of their privacy or information security policies or practices. This privacy policy applies only as provided in the “Scope” section above. Other websites and services follow different rules regarding the use or disclosure of personal information. We encourage you to read the privacy policies or statements of the other websites you visit.
International Users
The Site and Services are hosted in the United States. If you access the Site or Services from the European Union, Asia, or any other region with laws or regulations governing personal data collection, use, and disclosure that differ from United States laws, please be advised that through your continued use of the Site or Services, you are transferring your PII (there is no PII associated with services – we need to alter these sentences) to the United States and you consent to that transfer. Additionally, you understand that your PII may be processed in countries (including the United States) where laws regarding processing PII may be less stringent than in your country.
Questions or Comments?
C&E regularly reviews its compliance with this Privacy Policy. Please feel free to direct any questions or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy by contacting us through this Site, by emailing us at [email protected] or writing to us at:
Privacy
C&E Pvt. Ltd
210 Srikant Chambers
Sion Trombay Road
Chembur, Mumbai
400071
Changes to this Privacy Policy
Please note that this Privacy Policy may change from time to time. If you have any additional questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please feel free to contact us any time through this Site or by writing to us at the address set forth above.
Cancellation & refund policy
Return Items
If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, you may be eligible to return the item for a refund.
To return an item, please visit online Order Status for assistance 24 hours a day, or call xxxx-xxxx, Monday – Friday from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., or Saturday – Sunday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Pacific time.
Returns policy
Items that cannot be returned include:
•
•
•
