When the young group of Vivood architects discovered an abandoned animal preserve perched on a hillside in the stunning Guadalest Valley (Alicante, Spain) they knew they’d found a home for their landscape hotel.

With only a year to be up and running (and an angel investor waiting), they began constructing the rooms in a factory in Valencia while simultaneously prepping the land. The design was based on a prefab concept for emergency shelters developed by Vivood founder Daniel Mayo.

For the hotel, the design has morphed into wood and glass boxes on stilts that perch lightly on the land and allowing the group to use land without “developing” it.

Today, the 25 suites of the Vivood Landscape Hotel rest only on a foundation of nine minimal piles that can be easily removed so the resulting resort doesn’t affect runoff or impact the land.