Situated on Gasfinolhu in the Maldives, Club Med’s Finolhu Villas  isn’t your average upscale retreat.

At first glance it looks like your standard luxury getaway – complete with personal butlers, private pools and terraces, complimentary champagne, and picturesque vistas.

Unlike other locales teeming with Zen splendor, however, Finolhu features a one unique element: The complex is blanketed with 67,000 square feet of sleek silicon grids.

These grids are giant solar panels, positioned in plain sight, artfully integrated into the resort’s design. The panels are capable of yielding close to a megawatt of energy on an average day, enough to power the entire resort’s amenities. The isle also has a desalination tank that generates a self-sufficient water supply, and an efficient waste management system.

“This project was an architect’s dream come true,” said Yuji Yamazaki, the development’s chief architect in an interview with Inhabitat.

“The chance to imagine a resort in this gorgeous setting and to experiment to meet the challenge of energy independence has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”