Atkins has been commissioned by Widus Hotel & Casino, the premier leisure destination in Clark Freeport Zone, the Philippines, to provide masterplan and full scope architectural design services for a major expansion of the integrated resort. Upon completion, the facility will cover an area of 170,000 sq m - approximately four times its current size.

The scope of the extension includes a new casino, a hotel tower, retail, dining and a waterpark development. At the heart of the development will be the main gaming area, designed to attract guests from around the property due to its ease of access from areas such as the grand entrance, hotels and the new retail areas.

“One of the key challenges we faced was to integrate the extension seamlessly with the existing facilities of Widus Hotel & Casino. To address the challenge, our team carefully created a masterplan with optimised accessibility and connectivity throughout the property. A sophisticated yet intuitive pedestrian network ensures that guests can easily reach the main gaming areas, or any facility on the property, from all directions,” explained Ian Milne, Atkins’ senior design director.

According to Atkins, sustainability is a major focus of the integrated resort, which will set high standards in energy efficiency due to its careful orientation of the tower and the sophisticated design of facade sun shades. It is also intended that energy will be generated from the large array of photovoltaic panels on the casino roof.

Atkins is now a member of the SNC-Lavalin group, following its acquisition by the group in July 2017.