Allamanda Villa, Jumby Bay

Allamanda is a unit within a cluster of four attached villas we designed in the late 80's at Jumby Bay in Antigua. It was one of the first real estate developments on this private Island and is an example of a design that has withstood the test of time and was able to evolve as the Island turned into something more than was ever imagined at the time.

This end unit (on the right in above aerial) was designed as a 1,900 sf three bedroom two bath attached villa. Today it is a 3,100 sf four bedroom four bath villa. These first villas built at Jumby Bay were designed as a tightly clustered complex in order to have the least impact on the Island environment and landscape, basically an Island on an Island. Each villa was a collection of three to four simple rectilinear buildings connected by courtyards and covered terraces. This allowed all rooms to have flow through ventilation because at that time power generation was limited on the Island and air-conditioning was not an option. We used building materials commonly used in the Caribbean at that time, such as concrete block, stucco, terra cotta floor tiles and roof tiles, and bug resistant tropical hardwoods. This created a Mediterranean style of architecture, though we did not specifically set out to design within that theme, it was a result of the most appropriate materials to use. We also relied on the stark contrast between the white stucco, terra cotta and dark tropical woods to compensate for the lack of sophisticated architectural detail that was not possible with the skill level of local contractors in those early years.

This clustered structure of simple rooms and long lasting materials appropriate for the environment has allowed this villa to be added to as the scale and value of villas on Jumby Bay increased dramatically over the following years. We added more outdoor covered terraces, gave each bedroom a bathroom, added a rock splash pool, a roof deck with hanging bed, and just recently a private study for the Grand Master Suite with a private Zen garden. Part of the success of this project has been it's location with it's own private beach (shown above), but the basic plan allowed it to evolve over the years, not just with added space, but with enhanced character and style that enriched that indoor-outdoor living experience that is the essence of life in the Islands.

Allamanda is available to rent through Jumby Bay, a Rosewood Resort.