02 Dec Dunlin Hotel Coming to Kiawah River
Photo Credit: Genesis Studios
Kiawah River is a 2,000-acre mixed-use waterfront community located on Johns Island approximately 20 miles southwest of Charleston, SC. Thomas & Hutton is the engineer of record for the public infrastructure and site design within the renowned island community and will provide similar service for the recently announced Dunlin Hotel. The Dunlin is a member of Auberge Resorts Collection’s esteemed portfolio of luxury hotels.
Thomas & Hutton is working with the owner, Kiawah River Investment, and The Beach Company on the development drawings for the site access, parking areas, domestic water supply, fire protection supply, sewer collection system, and stormwater master plan. The property is set to include 72 cottage-style guest rooms and suites and 19 villas. The scenic grounds will feature a main lodge with a spacious wraparound porch, great rooms designed for unwinding, and a library lounge. Resort amenities will include a pool with inviting cabanas, a full-service spa, a community farmstead providing dining destinations with local bounty, nature excursions, access to the community’s Spring House, a riverfront swim and fitness facility. Additionally, Kiawah River is a popular wedding destination and The Dunlin will help bolster Kiawah’s capacity to host weddings and guests.
The site presented a challenge for our design team as it is located on a small hummock of high ground adjacent to the Kiawah River. Furthermore, the newly adopted FEMA flood zone maps placed the site in Coastal Zone A. To avoid raising the structures, preserve existing tree cover, and utilize the ground floor of the hotel and amenity structures, Thomas & Hutton’s Water Resources and Structural teams designed a new trip wall that borders the site and protects it from wave impacts during a storm event, which annuls the site’s Coastal A Zone designation.
Kiawah River offers the simple pleasures of country life with resort-style amenities and convenient access to the Charleston metro region. The larger community is the region’s only Agrihood. In an agrihood, the farm-to-table experience becomes a lifestyle. Kiawah River features multiple working farms, including a goatery, heirloom beef cattle, and a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program that delivers fresh local food to residents and resort restaurants. The Dunlin will increase the Kiawah River brand nationally and internally by allowing guests to experience all the amenities and scenery of Kiawah River. This exposure will support the restaurants and small commercial businesses, and increase residential lot and home sales within the community.
