Siddharth Talwar, Principal, Studio Lotus takes us through his firm’s projects selected for the World Architecture Festival 2021
CThe virtual edition of the World Architecture Festival (WAF) in December 2021 will not only celebrate the best of architecture and interior design, but will also bring together global thinkers and industry leaders from across the industry. The three-day event, based on ‘Resetting the City: Greening, Health and Urbanism’, includes over 496 projects in completed buildings, futuristic projects and landscapes from 62 countries. From India, apart from Sanjay Puri Architects (for Area Hotel, Nashik), Shibani and Kamal Architects (for Van Gogh Gardens, Bengaluru), Studio Lotus has two projects – RAAS Chhatrasagar in Rajasthan and The Villa in the Woods in Uttarakhand – has been shortlisted in Hotel & Leisure and House & Villas (Rural / Nature) completed project categories respectively.
Interestingly, both projects have been designed with ‘custom-built modular construction systems’ that lead to lightweight structures with low-impact foundations. This is because construction in remote areas comes with a great deal of responsibility, says Siddharth Talwar, principal of Studio Lotus, where reckless development over the past few decades has kept vulnerable ecosystems – which supports local communities and livelihoods – Is – at risk of irreparable damage. “Both sites were part of such a delicate ecosystem. Since there is a need for rapid construction processes that rate resource optimization and environmental efficiency at a high rate, we have explored the possibilities of modular building systems in which building components can be assembled on site. K off-site prefabrication,” he says. He further added that as with wet work traditionally associated with in-situ construction, the process ensured minimal wastage of water and materials, reduced pollution on the site and minimized the building’s environmental footprint.
Siddharth Talwar
Villa in the Woods was built on stilts to preserve the vegetation and natural drainage patterns on the site, rather than using the traditional cut-and-fill method. “We have also developed a lightweight, modular ‘parts kit’ that can be easily transported and assembled on site by hand, thus reducing on-site pollution,” says Talwar. ” As far as Ras Chhatrasagar is concerned, it is situated on top of about 150 years old check dam which forms a perennial rain water lake. “Here, we worked with a low-impact foundation, a lightweight superstructure, and designed stilted tent pods to maintain the structural integrity of the embankment.”
Excerpts from an interview outlining the design of the shortlisted projects:
Villa in the Woods
Why did you decide to use wood, slate and local stone? Where were they imported from?
Designed to evoke the feel of a treehouse, the villa’s material palette of wood, slate, and local stone is built on the vocabulary of koti-banla Architecture, endemic to the Kumaon region. The interior design furthers the feel of being cocooned in a treehouse using hand-crafted woodwork that blends classic notions of a simple wooden structure with modernist angles, clean lines, and contemporary furniture.
The villa is divided on three levels?
Yes. It offers different feel and sight lines. Raised on stilts, the elevated villa features a series of decks and expansive balconies, providing residents with seclusion and a direct connection to the lush outdoors on multiple levels. Residents enter the living quarters via a wooden boardwalk which also includes a kitchen and dining area.
The north-facing deck and south-facing courthouse promote outdoor lounging with panoramic views of the forests outside. The upstairs floor features bedrooms with floor-to-ceiling windows and skylights that frame expansive views of the landscape and fill the interior spaces with daylight. The lower level houses the guest bedrooms, staff quarters and ancillary facilities, which merge with the slope of the slopes under a canopy of native flora.
What makes the project sustainable?
The integration of native landscape, seasonal water bodies and large tree cover ensures comfortable ambient temperatures for most of the year. 100% of the waste water is treated through a phytoreid-based system and reused for horticulture, among other purposes. Through passive solar design and the use of local building materials, the design simultaneously addresses the aspects of daylight, natural ventilation, thermal comfort and energy use.
The building orientation and fenestration design ensure effective daylighting, minimizing energy consumption. Interior surfaces, including walls, floors and ceilings, have adequate insulation layers to regulate temperature and prevent heat loss during winter. In addition, a radiant heating system is provided to optimize thermal comfort and energy use.
Ras Chhatrasagar
Here too, it was imperative that all additions be made with a minimum environmental footprint. How was this achieved?
The original tourist camp at Chhatrasagar, which was run by the grandson of Kulin, consisted of eleven major tent accommodations – operating from October to March – and was destroyed during the harsh summer months, only to be reopened in early autumn. was to be collected. Canvas tents were attractive in their simplicity but offered disappointing insulation and lacked visual and acoustic privacy. This combination has made for a tough business model to maintain.
The design brief called for developing a perennial property resilient to the region’s harsh summers and cold winters. In addition, there was a need to increase the existing capacity to 16 tent units and augment the public spaces with a rich amenity mix. We worked with a system of low-impact foundations and lightweight superstructures that employed a dry construction method and used lime as a binder for minimal wet work. The design intervention also assimilates existing water features such as kundso And swells To facilitate on-site rainwater collection.
Please share the details about the sustainable features of the project.
The 16 tented ‘pods’ are raised on stilts to maintain the structural integrity of the embankment and to carry MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) services out of the dam, allowing rainwater to flow into the lake. Guests access the property via a landscaped walkway along the nearby forest belt, ascending a series of stone stairs to decks leading to the units through tree-lined slopes and gardens.
The underlying design principle for the camp was to frame the outside experience along both sides of the pod. Thus, each pod hosts a spill-out for outdoor lounging. The structure is made of a lightweight metal weave that rises from a pile foundation made of precast concrete hume pipes with compacted waste rubble.
The pods are separated by a metal screen, with bamboo planks extending to the edge of the embankment – from the lake to the fields in the east and the forest to the west – enabling privacy while seamlessly integrating the diversity of views . Thermally and acoustically insulated fiber cement board panels in the walls and ceiling system form the shell for each pod.
A continuous tensile fabric canopy is stretched over a lightweight partition spanning the entire length of the structure, providing waterproofing and additional insulation. This secondary membrane extends beyond the footprint of the pods and creates shaded verandas for viewing the surrounding panoramas. Retractable skylights installed within the ceiling capture a changing kaleidoscope of daily and nocturnal variations.
native babuli And Neem tree Trees, and indigenous bird and animal life find expression through woodblock, screen and digital prints as well as intricate hand-embroidered fabrics created by printmaker Dhvani Behl’s studio, Flora for Fauna.
Property’s Baradari Restaurant, Upholstered with country-style furniture made from locally sourced acacia (kikaro) is a subtle counterpoint to wood, and pink stone surfaces.
Details at worldarchitecture.org/
.