Press Release
Jumba Nungwi Luxury Boutique Resort by Dmytro Shakal Receives the Silver A' Design Award in Hospitality, Recreation, Travel and Tourism Design
Dmytro Shakal recognized for hospitality, recreation, travel and tourism design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 24, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Jumba Nungwi Luxury Boutique Resort by Dmytro Shakal has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Hospitality, Recreation, Travel and Tourism Design category. The award was conferred within the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
What the Silver A' Design Award Means
The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.
Regarding Jumba Nungwi Luxury Boutique Resort
Jumba Nungwi is a luxury boutique resort in Zanzibar, Tanzania, that combines a main hotel building with private villas in a zoned tropical landscape. The design is inspired by local vernacular huts and uses terracotta clay plaster, natural coral stone and teak wood. Perforated ceramic facade screens filter sunlight and improve ventilation, creating a stable microclimate. Cascading volumes and green terraces open the rooms to light and ocean views. Public spaces, restaurants and pools are placed within the hotel, while the villas are set among dense planting for privacy.
Award Record
This recognition makes Dmytro Shakal a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Hospitality, Recreation, Travel and Tourism Design Award
The A' Hospitality Design Award is an international hospitality design competition recognizing good hospitality designs by best hospitality designers worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to hospitality designers, architects, hospitality brands and hotel chains from all countries. Typical entries include hotels, restaurants, resorts, cafes, bars and cruise ships. The awarded hospitality designs are published at https://desingers.org/design-category/hospitality
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://desingers.org/182795
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/182795
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!182795
- Laureate Profile: https://desingers.org/d/381011
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://tvorzi.com/en
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Jumba Nungwi Luxury Boutique Resort
- Function
- Luxury Boutique Resort
- Category
- Hospitality, Recreation, Travel and Tourism Design
- Discipline
- Service Design
- Industry
- Food & Hospitality and Sports
- Colors
- Black, Dark Slate Gray, Maroon, Dark Olive Green and Sienna
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Dmytro Shakal
- Country
- Bulgaria
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #182795
Credits
- Image Credits
- Images 1,2,3,4,5 and video - RUSLAN ZHARUK
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Jumba Nungwi is a luxury boutique resort in Zanzibar that integrates hotel facilities and private villas within a carefully zoned tropical landscape. Inspired by local vernacular huts, the architecture combines terracotta tones, natural textures, and soft organic forms. A secondary facade system filters sunlight and enhances ventilation, creating a stable microclimate. The project merges traditional principles with modern hospitality design, sustainability and comfort.
- Inspiration
- Jumba Nungwi draws inspiration from Zanzibar’s local architecture, tropical environment, and biomimetic principles. Cascading buildings mimic coral reefs, optimizing light and ocean views. Green terraces serve as living spaces, while waterfalls, lagoons, and leaf-like facade screens create cooling, microclimate control, and dynamic light. Traditional materials and climate-adaptive strategies integrate modern hospitality design with context-driven sustainability.
- Research
- Type of research: Applied architectural and environmental study. Objective: To create a luxury resort aligned with Zanzibar’s landscape, climate, and culture. Methodology: Vernacular analysis, climate-responsive strategies, and biomimetic principles. Tools: Site surveys, parametric modelling, environmental simulations, and material studies. Participants: Architects and engineers. Results: Optimized layout, passive cooling, and guest comfort. Conclusions: Sustainable, resilient design overall.
- Challenge
- The main creative challenge of Jumba Nungwi arose during site investigation in summer 2025. After preliminary design and early studies, on-site geological and topographical surveys revealed constraints that required a full revision of building forms, layout, functionality, and engineering infrastructure. This prompted a complete redesign from the ground up, balancing aesthetic, cultural, and environmental considerations while integrating contemporary resort standards.
- Realization and Technology
- The design was developed through climate responsive architectural research, integrating vernacular principles with contemporary digital design tools. Parametric volumetric modeling and environmental analysis were used to optimize the cascading arrangement of buildings, natural ventilation, and solar shading. The project employs locally sourced materials, terracotta clay plaster, natural coral stone, teak wood, along with perforated ceramic facade screens and green terraces to enhance durability, passive cooling, and sustainability.
- Operation and Interaction
- Jumba Nungwi is designed to create a natural guest journey, from arrival to oceanfront relaxation. Public spaces, pools, and restaurants are placed in the main hotel buildings, while private villas are immersed in greenery for privacy. Terraces, shaded paths, water features, and gardens guide movement and shape memorable experiences. Passive cooling, natural ventilation, and shaded facades enhance comfort, reduce energy use, and support efficient resort operations. The hybrid model hotel + villas create a hight level of service.
- Project Duration and Location
- Jumba Nungwi is located in Zanzibar, Tanzania, on a 2.2-hectare oceanfront site. The project encompasses the main hotel building with 196 guest apartments and 49 private villas. The design started in February 2025 and finished in February 2026, construction process already started and is scheduled to span approximately 36 months, from initial concept development through to completion and operational readiness.
- Specifications
- Technical requirements: Jumba Nungwi is designed as a resort complex comprising 196 guest apartments within the main hotel building and 49 private villas. The total floor area of the main hotel building is 22,450 s.m, while the villas occupy 4,340 s.m. The total site area is 2.2 hectares. The hotel building includes two restaurants located on the ground floor and rooftop with a total area of 1,900 s.m, a 400 s.m spa complex, a bar, and an infinity swimming pool overlooking the ocean. The facility is also equipped with a laundry, technical service areas, and dedicated staff facilities to ensure efficient resort operations.
- Keywords
- Luxury Resort Zanzibar, Boutique Hotel, Villas, Biomimetic Design, Sustainable Architecture, Cascading Layout, Green Terraces, Infinity Pool, Climate-Responsive Design, Vernacular Inspiration, Modern Architecture of East Africa
