Mandarin Oriental, Costa Navarino is a destination resort that upholds the standards of a global luxury brand while remaining rooted in its context. Set above the bay of Navarino, it was designed to feel expansive yet intimate, offering luxury with a strong relationship to land, culture, and climate.
The scope was aligning a distinct design with a site of historical and ecological importance. The response was a decentralized masterplan inspired by Greek rural mandria, placing the accommodation, including 48 earth-sheltered pool villas, into clusters that follow the sloping terrain.
This dispersed layout enhances privacy and immersion in nature, with interiors extending into shaded outdoor spaces and thresholds creating framed views. Stone and terrazzo are used in understated ways, with Mediterranean tones and subtle layers.
Open-air circulation keeps nature present, whilst passive strategies, local materials, and water-efficient landscaping reinforce the ecological ambition. The plantings form an authentically verdant blend of olive and cypress, lavender, rosemary and thyme with other native species, many of which contribute to the agricultural heritage of this part of Greece.
Bio Coopers Hill is a global Landscape practice with offices in London, Singapore, Dubai as well as Shanghai. For more than 40 years we have been known as one of the world’s go-to landscape architectural practices within the hospitality and luxury lifestyle sector. Through our prestigious client base our portfolio continues to broaden, as we apply our award winning approach to a diverse range of projects worldwide. Our designs are driven by a passion for aesthetics interwoven with an understanding of ‘human experience'and its connection to the natural world.
Other prizes Ahead Award Europe Best Landscape 2022 and 2025 Ahead Award Best Resort 2023 and 2025 Ahead Award MEA Best Landscape 2022 Ahead Award MEA Best New Build 2023 Landscape Institute UK Awards - Mitigating Climate Change 2021
