Luxury eco-resort retreat: In Kumarakom, Kerala. A boutique project in close proximity to the Arabian Sea, the objective was to offer an indulgent retreat experience of life amidst the backwaters.
For the built structures, the design borrows from local architectural references that have stood the test of environmental sustainability, creating a strong sense of place.
PRINCIPAL DETAIL |
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FACT BOX |
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PRINCIPAL
ARCHITECT |
Morphogenesis |
BUILD AREA |
1,50,000 Sq.Ft. |
CIVIL CONTRACTOR |
N/A |
SITE AREA |
40 acres |
CLIENT |
C & C Hotels
Pvt. Ltd |
DESIGN TEAM |
Balaji Otra;
Balthazar Sieders; Elis Mendoza; Sachi Gupta |
LOCATION |
Kumarakom |
LANDSCAPE
CONSULTANT |
Morphogenesis |
PRINCIPAL DETAIL |
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YEAR OF
COMPLETION |
Unbuilt |
DESIGN CONSULTANT |
Preeti Sastrawaha |
PROJECT COST |
N/A |
CARPENTRY |
N/A |
PHOTOGRAPHY |
Preeti Sastrawaha |
STRUCTURAL
CONSULTANT |
N/A |
TARGETED OVER TO
FIT-OUTS |
N/A |
LANDSCAPE
CONSULTANT |
Morphogenesis |
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PROJECT NAME |
Kumarakom Resort |
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MECHANICAL & |
N/A |
|
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FAÇADE
ENGINEERING |
N/A |
|
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CONTRACTORS |
N/A |
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The Kumarakom Resort is located in
an ecologically sensitive region of Kerala kayal
(backwaters).
The site itself is a striated
prawn farm with a 5M striation of water and land grafted onto a site which is
in parts 1M below sea level and often partially flooded. The brief called for
an eco tourism based luxury retreat with villas and spas.
Morphogenesis approach to this
design was to develop a master plan that changed very little in the land
formation, to “touch the earth lightly”, quoting Glenn Murcutt. For the built
structures, the design borrows from local architectural references that have
stood the test of environmental sustainability, creating a strong sense of
place. The topographical striations have been retained and the planning
philosophy was to convert the waterways as the primary circulation route, to be
navigated by boats. To have minimum intervention on the actual ground
available, the buildings have all been placed on stilts, serving the dual
purpose of flood mitigation.
To optimally define the position
of the villas required balancing functionality of highly serviced hospitality
with accessibility. A rule-based parametric system was deployed. Conditions
such as placement of nodes, vehicular routes connecting these nodes, the
shortest pedestrian routes between them, placement of facilities and other
criteria were fed into a script. The result was a master plan with interlocking
movement systems of road, pathways and waterways linking the villa clusters
whilst maintaining sufficient privacy for each resident.
Traditional references of the nalukettu form (traditional, matrilineal Kerala homestead) and the kettuvallam (houseboat) have informed
the planning of the villas. The architecture of the nalukettu is typically a rectangular structure where four halls are
joined together with a central courtyard open to the sky and roof slopes on
four sides, protecting internal verandahs from rain and sun. This allows for a
pleasant indoor-outdoor experience and mitigates the high temperatures to a
reasonable level. The high humidity prevalent here needed to be addressed as
well. The hyperbolic paraboloid form of the roof structure of the kettuvallam houseboat provided the
solution and lent each built volume a distinct regional identity whilst
enhancing the level of human comfort. This form accentuates wind speeds due to
the Venturi effect thereby offsetting the humidity prominent in the region.
This unusual site and unique brief
elicited a design response that is intrinsically rooted to the high specificity
of the site topography, geography and immediate context, and aspires to
visually engage with the end user’s imagination by creating a unique identity
amidst a serene landscape.