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Bill Bensley currently lives and works in Bangkok, Thailand. He is the designer of many famous hotels around the world, including three major works in Vietnam: MGallery Hotel de la Coupole (Sapa), InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort (Da Nang), and JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay (Phu Quoc). Each of his designs is unique and has received numerous prestigious architectural awards worldwide. Bill Bensley is also known as the "wizard" of the architectural world.
Designer Bill Bensley
Five years ago, when a client asked him to design a resort with a zoo in Wuchuan Township, Guangdong Province, China, Bensley turned the question around. Why not build a resort for animals with a human zoo inside? Why not let the wild animals observe humans, instead of humans observing them?
The Colony: Bill Bensley designed the Hilton hotel in the WorldWild reserve based on an African termite mound.
The Hilton Colony Lodge will be built in the African savanna and will feature a swimming pool.
The design of the restaurants at The Hilton Colony Lodge resort suggests that diners will eat inside large African cooking pots.
Bensley's idea for building WorldWild wasn't intended to shock. He was a conservationist with a deep concern for the impact of humans on the earth. Therefore, his designs were always mindful of the natural ecosystem. After many serious discussions, the Guangdong provincial government agreed to grant Bensley 2,000 hectares of land to build the WorldWild conservation area. Bensley allocated 5% of the area to create a "human zoo" with 2,400 "cages" for humans to live in. The remaining 95% of the vast surrounding area is a zone where rare Chinese animal species can roam and live freely.
Bensley will dedicate 95% of the reserve to animals and 5% to humans.
The human zoo is essentially a chain of 5-star hotels, and the 2,400 "cages" are actually rooms for visitors to stay in. Each room cost $1 million to build. Instead of freely walking around to observe the animals, guests will stay in rooms overlooking the vast surrounding area, while the animals roam freely outside, "observing" them. Bensley said the first phase of the WorldWild project will last 8 years and will include several top-brand hotels. This first phase is expected to open and welcome guests in 2023.
The design of the Dzong Hotel in the Asian steppe region incorporates many architectural styles from Bhutanese, Tibetan, Ladakh, and Nepalese Buddhism.
Bill Bensley invited James Morrison, a renowned zoologist, to join the project. Together, they compiled a list of animals that would be present in the WorldWild reserve. One of them was the pangolin – a endangered wildlife species considered a delicacy by locals.
Morrison hopes that WorldWild reserve can become a common home for many animal species that have been harmed by human abuse. Bill Bensley's "human-watching animal" project, although somewhat bold and crazy, will certainly contribute to changing people's awareness of wildlife conservation and the natural environment.
The Australian grasslands in WorldWide feature vibrant buildings.
Proposals have been made to build the 220-room Waldorf Astoria hotel at WorldWild near the "Fish River"
In addition, Bensley plans to build four different train lines named Oriental Expresso, Tasmanian Tiger, Iron Horse, and Africa Queen. Each line will have seven stops. At each stop, there will be a children's theater catering to children aged 10-15. The theaters will screen films and plays about the animal world to inspire a love of nature and environmental protection.
Bensley recognizes the challenges of fighting for wildlife in China. However, he hopes to change people's perceptions of wildlife conservation. What he appreciates most is that the local authorities share his views and support him. His goal is for WorldWild to change the minds of 10 million Chinese people each year, and for 99% of its guests to be domestic rather than international.
