RAAS Chhatrasagar
Architects: Studio Lotus
Building on a water-edge requires architecture to be cognizant of, and sensitive towards the ecological impact of the intervention. The project for RAAS Chhatrasagar envisions a luxury retreat designed on the embankments of a check-dam built decades ago. The reservoir attracts numerous migratory birds since its formation. The existing structure replaces a series of tourist tents and with an addition of ancillary facilities through a series of careful inserts layered on and around the dam, the resultant ensemble exaggerates the experience of the water and the lush native vegetation.
The principal linear structure – designed as a continuous stretch of light-weight fabric houses the rooms – each opening out towards the water and the distant landscape. The design employs light-weight steel framing and dry-walling to ensure a minimal footprint and impact. The finely crafted structures complement the presence of the historic walls as the intervention has a seemingly floating presence.
Significant efforts are made by the architects to articulate a wide array of materials in a cohesive whole extending the architecture towards building and surface crafts that bring greater context within the design. Venturing beyond the visual quality of design, the project echoes a lost ambience – an imagined nostalgia for the site.
In India, the water-edge is a perpetually contested territory. This project exemplifies the significance of building with care and consideration – all the while, making an architecture of quality and resilience through design acumen and effort and therefore, RAAS Chhatrasagar by Studio Lotus is a Citation Project for The Merit List.
Images & Drawings: courtesy Studio Lotus