Set within the dense and fast-paced neighbourhood of Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad, Babylon Kitchen & Bar occupies a compact urban plot. Space remains limited on the site, while greenery is scarce within the surrounding neighbourhood. Residential plots surround the southern and eastern edges, while approach roads define the northern and western sides. The site also slopes gently from the southwest to the northeast by nearly six feet. Neighbouring plots rise almost twenty feet higher behind retaining walls, adding another layer of complexity. Within these tight urban conditions, Kiasma Studio saw an opportunity to introduce a lush and immersive landscape. The design uses greenery to soften the intensity of the surrounding urban environment.
Babylon Kitchen & Bar Reimagines Jubilee Hills Through Lush Urban Landscape | Kiasma Studio
At the heart of the design lies a contemporary interpretation of the legendary Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The design treats landscape as an integral part of the architecture rather than an accessory. A cascading green curtain wraps around the building and allows vegetation to take visual precedence. Creepers climb across the structure and spill over the boundary walls, creating a continuous layer of greenery. This approach gradually blurs the distinction between the built form and the planted landscape. Over time, this living layer continues to evolve, transforming the space into an enveloping garden environment within the jubilee hills.
The boundary walls play a significant role in establishing this identity. The design uses broken stone and layers of creepers to create a rugged, textured backdrop that recalls ancient stone terraces overtaken by vegetation. This treatment adds depth and character to the surfaces while strengthening the connection with the Hanging Gardens concept. The designers deliberately contrast this earthy expression with the building’s clean and contemporary architectural language. The greenery softens the modern form and creates a more natural, immersive character throughout the space. The result is a setting where the rawness of materials and the quiet presence of foliage coexist in balance.
Spatial planning for the project is organised into four distinct zones—services, indoor dining, semi-open seating, and the brewery courtyard—each shaped by the presence of landscape. The service block is strategically positioned along the southern edge of the site, acting as a buffer against neighbouring residences while freeing the remaining areas to open outward toward greenery. The indoor dining space is located in the eastern quadrant, providing uninterrupted views toward the landscaped zones.
The semi-open seating areas in this jubilee hill restaurant are carefully designed around two existing mature trees located in the southeastern portion of the site. Rather than removing these trees, they became the central anchors of the design. To maximise their shade and presence, the main brewery block was subtly tilted within the site, allowing pockets of open courtyard space to emerge around it. These shaded outdoor areas form some of the most intimate dining spots within the project, where guests sit beneath dense canopies of foliage while remaining visually connected to the central brewery.
Landscape continuity is further reinforced through the flooring strategy, which seamlessly connects interior and exterior spaces. A monolithic surface of washed concrete embedded with black and red stone chips flows across the site, dissolving the threshold between inside and outside. This uninterrupted ground plane encourages a free-flowing movement through the space, while organic curves within the paving patterns soften the otherwise geometric spatial layout.
Materiality throughout the project embraces a restrained and earthy palette that allows vegetation to remain the visual protagonist. Dholpur sandstone lines the compound walls, lending both durability and warmth to the site’s edges, while finished concrete surfaces celebrate the natural character of the material. Together, these textures create a calm and robust base against which the softness of planting and climbing vines can unfold.
The final landscape emerges as a careful dialogue between brutalist material expression and the quiet persistence of nature. Raw concrete surfaces, broken stone walls, creeping vegetation, and mature trees come together to transform a tight urban plot into a layered garden experience. At Babylon Kitchen & Bar, Kiasma Studio demonstrates how landscape can reclaim space within the city—allowing nature to drape itself across architecture and reintroduce a sense of calm within Hyderabad’s vibrant urban fabric.
Fact File
Landscape Designed by: Kiasma Studio
Project Type: Landscape Architecture Design
Project Name: Babylon Kitchen & Bar
Location: Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad
Founder of Kiasma Studio: Ar. Sowmya Lakhamraju
Photograph Courtesy: Vivek Eadara
Architects: 23DDS
Firm’s Website Link: Kiasma Studio
The Firm’s Instagram Link: Kiasma Studio
Firm’s Facebook Link: Kiasma Studio
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