Located in rural farmlands on the outskirts of Kolkata, the brief for this two-bedroom weekend retreat was to create a space that matched the tranquil surroundings of its setting. A place that blends in with the land, rather that breaks away from it. Set within a guava orchard in the farm, the idea was to build a ‘Macha’, or an elevated observation platform, that becomes a place of reprieve from the rigours of urban life.
‘Bonochhaya’ is an exclusive housing project themed around the heritage of Shantiniketan, which as a place, is a tribute to the legacy of Rabindranath Tagore. It is a project for a luxury retreat with a rural, nature-inspired flavour.
Built as the client Interaction zone for ‘Bonochhaya’, the experience centre for this development is designed to bring out all these aspects and more. It consists all essential functions of meeting spaces, presentation areas, discussion zones, set in the environment showcasing the local flavour as a unique selling feature of the project.
Built for accommodating the activities of a religious festival for a tribal community that resides in the lush countryside west of Kolkata, the driving concept behind the design was to celebrate tribal life, rituals and the symbiotic relationship with the forest. The fascinating surroundings of the Pavilion of Canopies are reflected in its design. An earnest attempt has been made to raise awareness about the enrichment and conservation of forestlands and the communities residing within them by highlighting their lives within the forest. The design experience was to abstract the journey through a lush forest of canopies and arrive at the sight of glorious divinity. This was similar to the ancient Indian ritual of undertaking a pilgrimage through the forest to seek divine enlightenment. Since the site is also surrounded by dense greenery the design seeks to formally reflect this contextual characteristic.
This school façade project came to us at a stage when the construction of the 2 academic blocks was already underway. The blocks were rather generic, with 6 floors of classrooms, labs, and other facilities arranged towards the periphery around matching central courtyards. Our brief was to work within these existing parameters to make a school. So we developed a design program in terms of circulation, movement, ventilation, classrooms and other concerns.”
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