PV panels never looked so good From above, the Kudadoo Maldives Private Resort looks like a shiny black beetle floating in a tranquil aquamarine sea. Located off one of the Maldives? tiny tropical islands, the luxury resort?s main building has a roof built from solar panels arranged into a stepped pattern.

Kudadoo Maldives Private Island Resort

New York City architecture firm Yuji Yamazaki Architecture (YYA) designed the $3,000-plus a night resort as a luxury eco-friendly getaway where the building can sustain itself. On one side of the island an arc of ocean bungalows wraps around the shore. On the other is the main building whose photovoltaic roof generates enough energy to power the entire resort.

Kudadoo Maldives Private Island Resort
YAA wanted to celebrate the technology?instead of masking the solar panels they put them front and center as a design feature that helps visitors understand how the resort is powered. ?At a glance, visitors can assess the size of solar roof, and then comprehend the relationship to the scale of the resort served by it,? the architects explain.

Kudadoo Maldives Private Island Resort

According to the designers, the building?s shape and angle were explicitly designed to capture sunlight and generate the maximum amount of energy. Meanwhile, slits in between the rows of panels allow air and natural light to filter through, further reducing electricity costs?not to mention taki...