In a new construction in the south of Sri Lanka, British architect Robert Drummond has turned to a naturally occurring version of the proportion: the spiral arrangement of plants and leaves.

Together with wife Lara Baumann, founder of Quantum Yoga, Drummond sought to build an entire property according to the golden ratio spiral, thus inserting into the landscape an architectural shape that  occurs in nature. The result is one of the world’s most intriguing new hotels, set on the edge of Koggala Lake and reached either by boat from the local airport or by a rutted rural road running through fields and jungle.

Named Tri Lanka, the resort centers on a water tower, from which the villas — made of in local jak wood and granite — spiral in accordance to the Fibonacci Sequence. Drummond’s design was brought to life by Raefer Wallis, of A00 Architects of Shanghai, who combined the mathematical shape with as many organic touches in the buildings as possible, further mimicking the naturally occurring shape. Guests can thus expect to find solar-heated water, roofs covered in greenery, living walls, and an abundant use of recycled woods, all of which come from the local environment. Even cinnamon sticks, usually thrown away after use, form part of the construction materials.