Extending the existing Arka Art Hotel within Kodra e Diellit that overlooks the city, the Cascades’ design comprises a new 120-room hotel wing, a 60-metre extension of the hotel’s existing swimming pool, as well as a new residential wing of apartments situated above its podium that is embedded within the hillside.

Two landscaped courtyards serve as gathering places for the Cascades’ guests and residents. The Poolside Courtyard extends the existing hotel terrace and restaurant veranda, while the Hillside Garden Courtyard offers a quieter, terraced landscape with panoramic views of the city.

Drawing on local materials and craftsmanship, the architecture’s composition is defined by the topography of the surrounding hillside with a series of cascading garden terraces orientated to optimise views across the valley.

ZHA’s analysis of the site using digital mapping and environmental modelling have informed the design to optimise efficiencies in the Cascades’ composition, orientation, structure, facade-to-floor ratios and solar irradiation.

Serving as extensions of the hotel’s guest rooms and the residential apartments, deep terraces provide residents, guests and visitors with a variety of public and private sheltered outdoor spaces.

Situated on a podium of locally quarried limestone, the Cascades’ façades are crafted in GRC panels incorporating the distinct colours and textures of this renowned local stone, echoing the unique qualities of the surrounding landscape.

Cast on site in modular strips, the GRC panels minimise structural loads and transport distances while also allowing the textures evident within the region’s geology to be reflected in the development’s façades. The panels’ light colour reflects solar radiation, easing cooling demand, while its thin profile reduces raw material use by up to 70%.

The same resource-aware approach has determined interior finishes. Lime based stucco naturally regulates humidity and requires no synthetic paint. Similarly, balustrades cast in bronze also require no maintenance coatings. Sustainably-harvested chestnut flooring provides a resilient natural surface underfoot.

Incorporating rainwater collection, greywater recycling, green roofs, external solar shading, and natural hybrid ventilation with waste heat recovery, the Cascades’ design delivers long service life, minimal embodied carbon, and a material palette defined by the surrounding hillsides.