Shwe Inn Tha Floating Resort at Nyaung Shwe.

TWO of Myanmar’s hotels are in the running to win the ASEAN Best Practices Competition for Energy Efficient Buildings, architects from both hotels revealed last week.

Shwe Inn Tha Floating Resort at Nyaung Shwe in southern Shan State, and Belle Resort, at Chaung Tha beach in Ayeyarwady Division, are both competing to win the ‘Tropical’ category of the competition, which is organised every year by the Jakarta-based ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE).

The Shwe Inn Tha Floating Resort sits in the middle of Inle Lake, 1300 metres above sea level. The resort made the final list submitted to ACE by Myanmar Engineering Society members and Design 2000 architects on May 7.

It was established in 1995 by local businesswoman Daw Tin Tin Yee and consists of 40 rooms: 38 deluxe, and two junior suites over 11 acres of water.

“The resort, set amid the lofty highlands of Shan State, has the advantage of cool weather, the main reason for the minimal use of energy. The highest temperature at Inle in midsummer is only 25-26 degrees Celsius, so we could design the building with no air-conditioning,” said Daw Chaw Kalyar, an architect with Design 2000 who helped design the resort.

Belle Resort at Chaung Tha beach. Pic: Supplied

She added that the owner was aware of the importance of preserving the natural environment to maintain local Inle culture, which is in danger of disappearing.

“In designing the building, we consciously studied the way local people lived in harmony with nature, as well as the simple taste of Inle traditional houses,” she said.

Daw Chaw Kalyar said the selection of materials having low environmental impact was important for energy-saving. “There is no cement or bricks even in the foundations. We used only timber, thatch and bamboo, which have low embodied energy and produce less impact on the natural environment. For fixing timber posts into the lake bed, the traditional method of manpower was used in order to minimise damage to the ecosystem,” she added.

“For roofing we use thatch, which has a low heat storage and transmission capacity. Underneath is a layer of tar, which performs as heat and water insulation. Below that is a timber ceiling for minimum heat storage,” she said.
She added that locally available light materials were chosen to promote air infiltration and reduce humidity, avoiding the need for air conditioner or fans.

Daw Chaw Kalyar said that since building units are subject to impact from water movement, fragile material like glass is used only sparingly to minimise the risk of breakage.

“Glass windows are not abundantly used, only for lighting and ventilation,” she said.

To save transportation charges, treated water from Inle Lake is used.
“Lake water is treated by sedimentation through sand and charcoal filters to save the expense of transporting water from elsewhere,” said Daw Chaw Kalyar.

Also in the running for the Tropical category is Belle Resort at Chaung Tha beach.

The resort sits on 4.16 acres of beachfront land and has 58 rooms, including four family suites, 12 deluxe, 20 superiors, four superior quads and 18 standards, said U Nyunt Win, the hotel’s architect.

He said one of the resort’s energy efficient design aspects is the air-conditioners, which were only installed in the guest rooms – most of the other rooms are open air and catch the ocean breeze.

“The kitchens, laundry, reception and dining rooms use only natural airflow,” said U Nyunt Win, who works for Studio 151 design firm.

U Nyunt Win said the bungalows and guest houses were designed to suit local conditions and to provide the most comfort while using the least amount of energy.

“There are rows of bungalows that offer panoramic views of the sea. All rooms can be opened up to provide the best ventilation and lighting, although we did have to install air-conditioners for comfort,” he said.

The resort is has also invested in a renewable energy source – wind. “There is a wind turbine about 150 metres away that we will begin using this year to power our street and security lights,” he said.

For the actual building materials, U Nyunt Win said as many items were sourced from the surrounding areas as possible to reduce transportation cost.
“We used timber, aggregates, natural stones and sandstone from nearest possible source to keep our costs at a minimum.

“Each building was placed to achieve the greatest natural airflow and shading to naturally reduce heat. As a result, our non-air-conditioned area is 40,930 square feet out of a total of 56,600 square feet,” he said.

The resort is fed a diet of rainwater and tube-well water, both of which are treated on-site.