Jodhpur, India
The Lotus Praxis Initiative
Post By:Kitticoon Poopong
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Photo © Courtesy of Andre Fanthome--Overview of restored site and new hotel block |
World Architecture Festival 2011 - Category Winner: HOLIDAY
CREATIVE CONCEPT:
Hand crafting a story for today.
Set in the heart of the
walled city of Jodhpur,
Rajasthan, RAAS is a 1.5-acre property uniquely located at the base of the
Mehrangarh Fort. The brief was to create a luxury
boutique hotel with 39 rooms in the context of the Old city quarter of Jodhpur.
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| Photo © Courtesy of Andre Fanthome--the central courtyard shows the relationship of old and new buildings within the surrounding neighbourhood |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Andre Fanthom--baradari overlooking the pool |
The property was inherited with three decrepit period structures (17th-18th century) set in a large courtyard.
The central idea was to make old buildings and the expanse of the courtyard the anchors for the Raas experience. The new buildings are placed into the site to serve as framing elements and as contemporary counterpoints to the site and the fort.
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| Photo © Courtesy of Andre Fanthome--al fresco restaurant with furniture in local wood |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Andre Fanthome--Overview of restored site and new block, at night |
The old buildings have been painstakingly restored with traditional craftsmen in the original materials such as
lime mortar and Jodhpur sandstone. Since the footprint of these buildings was very small it was decided that these would be best used as shared spaces to be enjoyed by all the guests, such as the pool, dining areas, a spa, open lounge areas These old buildings also house 3 heritage suites.
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| Photo © Courtesy of Andre Fanthome--One of the new hotel wings with Blue suite inserts |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Andre Fanthome--Restored and relocated pavilion against new wing |
The balance 36 rooms are housed in contemporary buildings that become framing elements to the site and strongly respond to the context. Age-old materials and skills are manifested as a contemporary and understated graphic form derived from multiple functional and programmatic parameters.
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| Photo © Courtesy of Andre Fanthome--lattice wall |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Andre Fanthome--New hotel wing-frames & reveals the view on entry |
These new buildings are inserted into the site in a manner that they accentuate the spatial and formal relationship among the old buildings and the Fort, creating a dialogue between the old and the new.
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| Photo © Courtesy of Andre Fanthome--Al fresco restaurant with furniture in local wood |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Andre Fanthome--detail of alfresco restaurant in lime plaster and bronze mirror |
Inspired by the age-old double skinned structures of the region, (the traditional stone latticed jharokha form of Rajasthani architecture – which perform multiple functions of passive cooling and offering privacy to the user) these buildings act as lanterns framing the site. The drama of the stone jaali (lattice) is heightened by the fact that these panels can be folded away by each guest to reveal uninterrupted views of the fort, or can be closed for privacy and to keep the harsh Jodhpur sun out.
Luxury is infused into the project through authenticity both in terms of materials and workmanship.
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| Photo © Courtesy of Andre Fanthome--handcut stone screens render the corridors with light |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Andre Fanthome--Folding handcut stone shutters line room balconies |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Andre Fanthome--multiplicity of textures through the day |
INTEGRATION IN SURROUNDINGS:
The fact that we had three 18th century buildings on our site - together with the fact that we were building in the old city gave us a very strong contextual framework to work within.
The idea was to retain a sense of connection with the old city and yet create the feeling of being in an oasis within the hustle and bustle of things. The core discussion centered around providing visitors a tactile and sensual and authentic experience of living within the historical context of the old city of Jodhpur. This guided the planning and placement of the new structures.
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| Photo © Courtesy of Andre Fanthome--restored 17th century haveli converted into spa |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Andre Fanthome--17th century pavilion in restored in lime plaster |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Andre Fanthome--the terrace restaurant is a contemporary graphic rendition of traditional rajasthani motifs derived from local textiles |
The property has been planned as an inward looking development reaching out to include the surrounding walled city in the experience.
This has been done by the following gestures:
- The sense of arrival – The sense of meandering through narrow bye lanes of the walled city has been extended into the property through the architectural planning. The new hotel wing acts like a second gate that holds on to the dramatic ‘reveal’ as the guest enters the main courtyard.
- The monochromatic palette of the local Jodhpur Sandstone in all its hues and textures seems to make Bring the Fort into the site and make it a seamless part of the experience of the Hotel
- The new buildings respond both to the heritage structures and to the organic form of the Blue walled city dwellings, without aping the old.
- Almost all the rooms had to have a view of the fort.
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| Photo © Courtesy of Andre Fanthome--the heritage suites are rendered with simplicity in a traditional palette of lime plaster, stone, handmade terrazzo tiles, and locally crafted bespoke furniture |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Andre Fanthome--seating area |
SUSTAINABLE ASPECTS:
Localisation - Crafted by over a hundred regional artisans and master-craftsmen, the development – building and interiors - is conceived and executed using the fundamentals of sustainable architecture. This was achieved by restricting ourselves to a very tight palette of using locally available materials and skills. 70% of the materials and people used on site have been sourced locally, most within a 30 km radius.
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| Photo © Courtesy of Andre Fanthome--hand dressed stone slabs divide room from washroom |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Andre Fanthome--the room serves as a gallery looking out onto the property and the fort |
Passive & Active Cooling/ Heating :
- The new buildings are designed as double skinned structures, with the outer skin being a “breathing” stone lattice wall that keeps out heat and a deep recessed inner skin of glass.
- The fact that Jodhpur is one of the sunniest cities in India has been harnessed and all hot water in guest rooms is solar heated.
- The air-conditioning system is Variable Refrigerant Volume based, amongst the greenest technologies available currently for air-conditioning .
Managing Water:
- All the rainwater runoff from the buildings and rest of the site is being harvested through pits that are an integral part of the landscape.
- 100% of the wastewater generated is reused at site using a Sewage treatment plant.
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| Photo © Courtesy of Andre Fanthome--washrooms are cast in hand poured white terrazzo |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Andre Fanthome--View of the fort from a rooftop blue suite |
USE OF MATERIALS:
The story of Raas is created using ordinary, locally available materials. Jodhpur has a very strong living tradition of craft - stonework, woodwork, metal work and access to local craftsmen and artisans of the highest caliber.
These simple materials were then worked on by a team of craftsmen to hone and transform into something extraordinary. This transformation is what imbibes a sense luxury to the hotel.
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| Photo © Courtesy of Andre Fanthome--small details such as an embedded mirror capture and deconstruct views of the fort and the old city |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Andre Fanthome--detail of lattice wall |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Andre Fanthome--Hand dressing in patterns by local stone craftsmen |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Andre Fanthome--The local Jodhpur blue frames a new staircase |
Every element is handcrafted with a focus on simplicity, and function – beauty being the skill and care of the craftsperson that has gone in to creating the piece. Materials include hand cut stone, poured in situ pigmented cement terrazzo on floors, walls and as furniture. Locally crafted furniture and cabinets in sheesham (a local Indian hardwood).
Description from the Architects:
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| existing site--drawing © Courtesy of The Lotus Praxis Initiative |
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| site plan--drawing © Courtesy of The Lotus Praxis Initiative |
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| schematic section of one of the new hotel wings--drawing © Courtesy of The Lotus Praxis Initiative |
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| sectional study of site with respect to fort--drawing © Courtesy of The Lotus Praxis Initiative |
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| 3d model of hotel building--drawing © Courtesy of The Lotus Praxis Initiative |
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| room floor plan--drawing © Courtesy of The Lotus Praxis Initiative |
Video:Jodhpur's chic boutique hotel Raas - leading a new wave of innovative luxury hotels in Rajasthan. Just one of the destinations featured by luxury travel specialists Wire. http://www.mywireindia.co.uk
Project Data
Project name: Raas Jodhpur
Address: Tunvar ji ka Jhalra, Makrana Mohalla, Jodhpur - 342001, Rajasthan, India
Program: Hotel
Project Area: 1.5-acre
Project Year: 2011
Room: 39 rooms, 7 of which are suites with separate sitting rooms, larger balconies and bathrooms. 35 rooms have views of the Mehrangarh Fort and the remaining 4 rooms have private gardens overlooking the old, restored buildings. All rooms and suites have balconies and are decorated with great flair and care. They are contemporary, understated and make the most of Jodhpur's pink sandstone, stunning black terrazzo and with splashes of 'Jodhpur blue'. They are state of the art and furnished to an exceptionally high degree of modern comfort and sophistication. Light, space and clean lines are the bywords here.
Award: World Architecture Festival
2011 - Category Winner:
HOLIDAY
Visit Raas Jodhpur's Website: here
The people
Client / Owner / Developer: Nikhilendra Singh, Walled City Hotels Pvt. Ltd., India
Architect: The Lotus Praxis Initiative
Project Architects: Anuja Gupta, Radha Muralidhara
Design Principal & CEO: Ambrish Arora
Environmental Engineer: NA
Furniture Designer: Arun Kullu
Landscape Architect: Akshay Kaul, Akshay Kaul and Associates
Partner: Rajiv Majumdar
Structural Engineer: Manjunath B.L. Manjunath & Co
Photographs: ©
Andre Fanthome
Note>>Location in this map, indicate city/country but not exact address.
