RAAS Chhatrasagar | Source: Avesh Gaur
December is coming, and the 2021 World Architecture Festival (WAF) virtual edition will not only celebrate the best architecture and interior design, but will also bring together global thinkers and industry celebrities from the industry. With the theme of "Resetting the City: Greening, Health and Urbanization", the three-day event covered 496 completed buildings, future projects and landscape projects from 62 countries/regions. From India, in addition to Sanjay Puri Architects (for Aria Hotel in Nashik), Shibanee & Kamal Architects (for Van Gogh's Garden, Bangalore), etc., two projects of Lotus Studio-RAAS Chhatrasagar and North Akan in Rajasthan Debon’s forest villas-have been shortlisted for hotel and leisure and house and villa (village/natural) completed project categories respectively.
Interestingly, both projects are designed with a "custom modular building system" that can achieve lightweight structures and low-impact foundations. Sidhartha Talwar, head of Studio Lotus, said that the reason is that construction in remote areas shoulders a huge responsibility. The reckless development of the past few decades has exposed the sensitive ecosystems that support local communities and livelihoods to irreparable risk of damage. "These two locations Are part of such a fragile ecosystem. Due to the need for a faster construction process with a high evaluation in terms of resource optimization and environmental efficiency, we explored the possibility of modular building systems, which involve the assembly of building components on site Prefabricated off-site," he said. He added that since there is almost no wet construction associated with traditional on-site construction, the process ensures minimal waste of water and materials, reduces on-site pollution, and minimizes the environmental footprint of the building.
The villas in the woods are built on stilts to protect the vegetation and natural drainage patterns on the site instead of using traditional digging and filling methods. Talwar said: “We have also developed a lightweight, modular'component kit' that can be easily transported and assembled on site by hand, thereby reducing on-site pollution.” As for RAAS Chhatrasagar, it is located in a building with a history of nearly 150 years. On the dam, a perennial rainwater lake is formed. “Here, we used low-impact foundations, light-weight superstructures, and designed stilt pods to maintain the structural integrity of the embankment.”
The interview excerpt outlines the design of the shortlisted project:
Villa in the woods | Source: Noughts & Crosses LLP
Villa in the woods
Why did you decide to use wood, slate and local stone? Where do they come from?
In order to evoke the experience of the tree house, the material palette of wood, slate and local stone in the villa is based on the koti-banal architectural dictionary unique to the Kumaon region. The interior design combines the classic concept of simple wooden structure with modernist angles, clean lines and modern furniture through the use of hand-made wooden products, further consolidating the experience in the tree house.
The villa is divided into three floors?
Yes. This provides a differentiated experience and sight. Elevated villas are built on stilts, with a series of decks and spacious balconies, providing residents with solitude and direct contact with the multi-level lush outdoors. Residents enter the living area through the boardwalk, which also includes the kitchen and dining area.
Villa in the woods | Source: Noughts & Crosses LLP
A north-facing deck and a south-facing courtyard promote outdoor recreation and enjoy panoramic views of the forest in the distance. The bedroom on the upper floor has floor-to-ceiling windows and skylights, which offer a wide view and provide plenty of daylight for the interior space. The lowest level is equipped with guest rooms, staff dormitories and ancillary facilities, which are integrated with the slope of the slope under the native vegetation canopy.
What makes the project sustainable?
The fusion of native landscape, seasonal water bodies and large tree cover ensures a comfortable ambient temperature for most of the year. 100% of the wastewater is treated through a plant-based system and reused for gardening and other purposes. By combining passive solar design and the use of local building materials, the design simultaneously solves the problems of daylight, natural ventilation, thermal comfort, and energy use.
Villa in the woods | Source: Noughts & Crosses LLP
The building orientation and window opening design ensure effective daylighting and minimize energy consumption. The inner surfaces including walls, floors and roofs have sufficient insulation to regulate the temperature and prevent heat loss in winter. In addition, a radiant heating system is provided to optimize thermal comfort and energy use.
Here, all additional facilities must be constructed with a minimum environmental footprint. How is this achieved?
The original tourist camp in Chhatrasagar was run by the grandson of the nobleman and included an 11-room tent accommodation-operating from October to March the following year-and was dismantled during the harsh summer and reassembled only at the beginning of the fall. Canvas tents are simple and charming, but have poor thermal insulation and lack visual and auditory privacy. This combination has formed a business model that is difficult to maintain.
RAAS Chhatrasagar | Source: Avesh Gaur
The design brief called for the development of a perennial property that can withstand the harsh summer and cold winter of the area. In addition, it is necessary to increase the existing capacity to 16 tent units and expand the public space through a richer combination of convenience facilities. We adopted a low-impact foundation and light-weight superstructure system, adopted a dry construction method, and used lime as a binder for minimal wet engineering. The design intervention also absorbed existing water features, such as Kunde and depressions, to promote rainwater harvesting.
Please share detailed information about the sustainable characteristics of the project.
Sixteen tent "pods" were erected on stilts to maintain the structural integrity of the embankment and enable MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) services to flow out of the dam and let rainwater flow into the lake. Guests enter the hotel via a scenic trail in the nearby forest belt, and follow a series of stone steps through the tree-lined slopes and gardens to the deck leading to the apartment.
The basic design principle of the camp is to construct an outdoor experience along the two edges of the pod. Therefore, each pod has spills for outdoor recreation. The structure is made of a lightweight metal braid that can bounce off a pile foundation made of precast concrete Hume tubes and compacted waste gravel.
The pods are separated by metal screens, and the bamboo infill extends towards the edge of the embankment-while ensuring privacy while seamlessly integrating the diversity of the landscape-from the lake on the east to the farm and forest on the west. The thermal and sound insulation fiber cement panels in the walls and roof system form the shell of each pod.
RAAS Chhatrasagar | Source: Noughts & Crosses LLP
A continuous stretch fabric canopy extends over the lightweight partition and spans the entire structure to provide waterproofing and additional insulation. This secondary membrane extends beyond the footprints of the pods to form a shady balcony overlooking the surrounding panorama. The retractable skylight installed in the roof captures the kaleidoscope of day and night changes.
The lives of native Babur and Neem trees, as well as native birds and animals, are expressed through woodblock prints, silk screens and digital printing, as well as intricate hand-embroidered fabrics made by printmaker Dhvani Behl's studio Flora For Fauna.
The hotel’s Baradari restaurant is decorated with country-style furniture, made of locally sourced acacia (kikar) wood, which creates a subtle contrast with the pink stone surface.
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Printable version | November 24, 2021 at 8:37:53 AM | https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/homes-and-gardens/studio-lotus-world-architecture-festival-2021 -villa-in-the-woods-raas-chhatrasagar-design/article37229174. ECE
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