Architecture

&Beyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge

  • The walkway from the bar to the viewing deck gives visitors a feeling for the pangolin shape that inspired the design of Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge.
    The walkway from the bar to the viewing deck gives visitors a feeling for the pangolin shape that inspired the design of Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge.|
  • The dramatic arrival at Sandibe. Diffused and hidden lighting plays an important role in setting the mood at the lodge and creates a sense of anticipation as guests head for the greatest design surprise of their lives.
    The dramatic arrival at Sandibe. Diffused and hidden lighting plays an important role in setting the mood at the lodge and creates a sense of anticipation as guests head for the greatest design surprise of their lives.|
  • The elevated viewing deck follows the same organic lines as the rest of the lodge, as do many of the furniture pieces.
    The elevated viewing deck follows the same organic lines as the rest of the lodge, as do many of the furniture pieces.|
  • All the furniture was sourced in South Africa and shipped to Botswana.
    All the furniture was sourced in South Africa and shipped to Botswana.|
  • All the furniture was sourced in South Africa and shipped to Botswana.
    All the furniture was sourced in South Africa and shipped to Botswana.|
  • The wooden shingles used to clad the building and the roof are all differently shaped.
    The wooden shingles used to clad the building and the roof are all differently shaped.|
  • The Sandibe menu, executed by chef Joshua Segokgo, is organic and deconstructed in its flavours.
    The Sandibe menu, executed by chef Joshua Segokgo, is organic and deconstructed in its flavours.|
  • Sandibe is situated in some of the best game-viewing territory in the Delta.
    Sandibe is situated in some of the best game-viewing territory in the Delta.|
  • Sandibe is situated in some of the best game-viewing territory in the Delta.
    Sandibe is situated in some of the best game-viewing territory in the Delta.|
  • The nature-inspired lines of the Sandibe architecture are seldom straight. The arched wooden beams that form the skeleton of the structure were bent, not cut, into shape by carpenters in Mpumalanga, South Africa and then shipped to the site in Botswana.
    The nature-inspired lines of the Sandibe architecture are seldom straight. The arched wooden beams that form the skeleton of the structure were bent, not cut, into shape by carpenters in Mpumalanga, South Africa and then shipped to the site in Botswana.|
  • The nature-inspired lines of the Sandibe architecture are seldom straight. The arched wooden beams that form the skeleton of the structure were bent, not cut, into shape by carpenters in Mpumalanga, South Africa and then shipped to the site in Botswana.
    The nature-inspired lines of the Sandibe architecture are seldom straight. The arched wooden beams that form the skeleton of the structure were bent, not cut, into shape by carpenters in Mpumalanga, South Africa and then shipped to the site in Botswana.|
  • With architecture the hero at Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge, the decor is understated and organically inspired, with just a few accent pieces to make a design statement. There’s an absence of colour, except for the warmth of wood and the glow of copper.
    With architecture the hero at Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge, the decor is understated and organically inspired, with just a few accent pieces to make a design statement. There’s an absence of colour, except for the warmth of wood and the glow of copper.|
  • There are 12 guest suites at Sandibe. Each has its own pool and fireplace to lend the spaces a romantic glamour. In a nostalgic nod to the lodge’s previous life, pieces of the wood that supported the old building have been cemented into the elegant new vanities.
    There are 12 guest suites at Sandibe. Each has its own pool and fireplace to lend the spaces a romantic glamour. In a nostalgic nod to the lodge’s previous life, pieces of the wood that supported the old building have been cemented into the elegant new vanities.|

PHOTOS Dook PRODUCTION Annemarie Meintjes WORDS Jacquie Myburgh Chemaly

The &Beyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge recently reopened its doors after having been completely rebuilt.

The pangolin is a solitary creature. One of the most secretive mammals in the African bush, it sleeps during the day and emerges at night to extract insects from their nests with its long, sticky tongue. The animal’s cautious nature and its unique covering of overlapping scales have made it a rare delight to spot in the wild.

Visitors to the &Beyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge must surely experience a similar frisson when they arrive at their destination: a reimagined gem in the shape of a giant pangolin that is set to become one of the iconic designs of the Okavango Delta.

Sandibe is not a new lodge. The original architect Nick Plewman was invited back to rework the site he’d designed 16 years before, and this time he was joined by UK architects Michaelis Boyd Associates as well as aesthetic direction and interior design specialists Fox Browne Creative. Chris Browne had also been involved before, furnishing the original lodge. This dream team was perfectly positioned to update the &Beyond group’s flagship lodge.

&Beyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge
Sandibe is situated in some of the best game-viewing territory in the Delta.

Situated in a private concession area in the Okavango Delta, Sandibe is adjacent to the wildlife-rich Moremi Game Reserve. Guests are spoilt for choice with the best of swamp and dry-land game viewing on their doorstep. Nick says the team chose the pangolin as their design motif because of that creature’s elusive nature and its ability to curl into its own protective carapace. The overlapping scales are evident both in the form and construction of the main guest areas, with the building’s skeleton clad in a wooden skin of shingles and timber.

The shingles were painstakingly set in place, which was by no means easy to execute. Sandibe was architect Alex Michaelis’s first foray into African design, and an ambitious one at that. He has high praise for the local contractors and for the manner in which the design came together despite numerous setbacks and challenges. “This would have been a difficult project in London, never mind in the middle of Botswana,” he says.

The team pays tribute to their contractor on the ground, Adriaan van der Merwe of Lodge Builders Botswana, who stayed beside the pangolin until it was completed, and engineers Garry Sheard and Case Bakker of De Villiers Sheard, who were instrumental in ensuring the structural integrity of the building. Alex believes one of the most inspired aspects of the design is the fact that all the guest suites have been elevated to allow for the best game viewing possible. And in line with regulations and the contemporary design movement, the new Sandibe has a much lighter footprint than the former one. A solar panel farm provides electricity, no cement was used, and every aspect has been designed and selected with sustainability in mind.

Sandibe may make one hell of a design statement but it is very sympathetic to the landscape. Says Alex: “She is going to age very gracefully. When all that timber starts to turn grey, the lodge will simply meld into the landscape.”

The hospitality also reflects the lodge’s understated luxury. Fox Browne Creative has played an important role in identifying the tone and guest experience at the &Beyond lodges, with interior and culinary details at Sandibe carrying that subtle yet stylish Fox Browne touch.

In the process of creating an iconic space that would feature in glossy design magazines, it must be tempting to get carried away and overdo the details. But the creative team knew when to stop and have left Sandibe with an uncluttered sense of luxury that is quite breath-taking. Copper finishes gleam in the glow cast by hidden strip lighting. A handful of accent pieces such as the curving bar and the collapsed tree server render the space unforgettable. There are no over-the-top gimmicks, just one absolutely out-of-this-world design. | andbeyond.com 

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