Bill Bensley

Bill Bensley, born William Bensley, is an American landscape architect, and interior designer who has designed over 200 hospitality projects in 50 countries. He is the founder and creative director of Bangkok and Bali-based design studio BENSLEY, established in 1989 and 1990 respectively.
== Early life and education ==
Bensley was born on February 2nd 1959 to English immigrants, in Orange County, California|Orange Country, California. His father was an research engineer for NASA. Following a career day talk landscape architect Rocco Campanozzi (Knott's Berry Farm|Knott’s Berry Farm amusement park), Bensley joined California State Polytechnic University, Pomona|California State Polytechnic University’s Landscape architecture|Landscape Architecture program. In his book Escapism, Bensley recalls his first big presentation in his freshman year: overcome by nerves, he threw his model to the floor and walked out. He credits this night with BENSLEY's unconventional presentation style now, where he unrolls meter-wide scrolls that are sometimes 15 meters long or more. At University Bensley went on to win an award from the American Society of Landscape Architects|ASLA which led to a full scholarship at Harvard Graduate School of Design|Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, studying Urban Design under famed architect Moshe Safdie, and alongside Mathar Bunnag|Lek Mathar Bunnag, who invited him to come to Asia after they completed their studies at Harvard in 1984. The day after graduation Bensley started backpacking across Europe, before going to Malaysia where he hitchhiked and exchanged sketches of people he met for meals, as he worked his way to Singapore.
== Career ==
Following graduation from Harvard University|Harvard in 1984, Bensley joined Belt Collins & Associates in Singapore for 3 years, followed by 2 years in their Hong Kong office. In that time he learnt Indonesian and Malay, and familiarised himself with the Southeast Asian architectural vernacular, particularly that of Bali. Bensley then moved to Bangkok, where he opened the first BENSLEY studio in 1989, and a second in Bali in 1990. The studio's early projects included landscaped gardens for the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok, the Oberoi Udaivilas in Udaipur and the Anantara Hua Hin Resort & Spa. Private clients included Malaysian Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu, and the private home of businessman Howard Feldman.
In 2006 the BENSLEY-designed Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle opened in Chiang Rai. It was the first BENSLEY tented camp project, and doubles as a sanctuary for rehabilitated elephants. A new concept in hospitality, it was awarded Condé Nast Traveler|Conde Nast Traveller Readers' Choice #1 Hotel in the World, three years in a row. Gradually BENSLEY grew from a landscaping studio to one offering architecture and interior design as well. In 2010 Bensley was awarded the AD100 - an annual survey of the best names in design by Architectural Digest - and said in an interview: "We pride ourselves on our attention to every detail, from the architecture and gardens down to the napkin rings and signage." He is often defined as a Maximalism|maximalist designer.
Bensley’s work is centered around sustainability, with Tatler Malaysia writing that "he has made it his life’s mission to preserve the sanctity of the Earth through focused ecological practices." At the Four Seasons Koh Samui he introduced the concept of Minimal Intervention: preserving existing landscapes through architecture built around trees and adapted to the existing terrain, rather than cutting down trees and disrupting natural Sustainable drainage system|drainage patterns. BENSLEY's dedication to Conservation biology|conservation and sustainability continued with the opening of a tented camp in Cambodia's Cardamom Mountains|Cardamom mountains, Shinta Mani Wild - Bensley Collection, under the Shinta Mani Hotel Group. Bensley purchased a piece of land “roughly the size of Central Park” to prevent it from being mined, and set up a 15 tent luxury camp, which funds the protection of the forest from poaching and logging by Wildlife Alliance, a common issue in the area. It is now credited as a National Geographic Unique Lodges of the World, which are "dedicated to protecting the surrounding habitats and cultures". This is a new model of hospitality which blends conservation with high-end luxury. In 2020 Bensley self published a white paper on sustainability called Sensible Sustainable Solutions. Architectural Digest called Bensley a "...pioneer in sustainable hotel design for the past three decades... (who) not only anticipated the shift toward sustainability, but is also now sharing his hard-earned knowledge with others in the industry".
== Select Work ==
* Capella Ubud, Bali, Indonesia 
* Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle, Chiang Rai, Thailand
* JW Marriott Phu Quoc, Vietnam 
* Rosewood Luang Prabang, Laos 
* Intercontinental Danang, Vietnam 
* Shinta Mani Siem Reap - Bensley Collection, Cambodia 
* Shinta Mani Wild - Bensley Collection, Cambodia
* MGallery Hotel de la Coupole, Sapa, Vietnam 
* Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra, India 
== Awards ==
Year	Award 	Nominee 	Category 	Result
2005	Architectural Digest 	Bill Bensley	AD100: Top 100 Architecture & Interior Design 	Winner
2010	Architectural Digest 	Bill Bensley	AD100: Top 100 Architecture & Interior Design 	Winner
2017	Hospitality Design 	Bill Bensley	Platinum Circle Hall of Fame of Hospitality Design in New York 	Winner
2019	Surface Magazine 	Bill Bensley	Travel Awards 2019 - Nomination in Adventure Camping Category 	Finalist
2019	AHEAD 	Bill Bensley	Asia 2019 Outstanding Contribution Award for Hospitality and Design	Winner
2019	Design Anthology 	Bill Bensley	Magazine Awards 2019; Vanguard, Finalist 	Finalist
2019	World Travel Awards 	Bill Bensley	Outstanding Contribution Award 	Winner
2020	TTG Luxury Travel 	Bill Bensley	Awards 2020 - Contribution to Luxury Travel Award 	Winner
2020	Interior Design Confederation, Singapore	Bill Bensley	Interior Designer of the Year – Designers’ Choice 2020 	Winner
== Publishing History ==
Year	Book Title 	Bensley's Role 	Publishing Details 	ISBN
2000	Tropical Paradise 	Author alongside Tan Hock Beng and Photographer	Hearst Book Intl (September 1, 2000) 	ISBN-10 : 0823054519
ISBN-13 : 978-0823054510
2008	Paradise by Design: Tropical Residences and Resorts by Bensley Design Studios	Author and Photographer 	Periplus Editions; Reprint Edition (February 24, 2015) 	ISBN-10 : 0794607667
ISBN-13 : 978-0794607661
2017	Escapism - Volume 1 	Author and Photographer 	Serindia Publications 2017; Reprint Edition - self publication 2020	ISBN-13: 978-1932476828
ISBN-10: 1932476822
== Personal life ==
Bensley and his husband, Jirachai Renthong, a horticulturist, together run the BENSLEY studio, alongside their six Jack Russells: Chuck Berry, Bobby Brown, Sammy Davis Jr, Jesse James, Frank Sinatra, and Tommy Bahama. Bensley has two siblings, one of them named Ann, with whom he travels often. Bill Bensley is known to run daily, and paints in his personal time.
==In the media==
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== References ==
Category:American interior designers
Category:American landscape architects
Category:American architects