The first intention of this Wellness Retreat project was to design spaces that responded to this setting. The site sits between the gigantic Sahyadri mountain range, the mesmerizing waters of the Gautami Godavari dam, and a mosaic of multi-toned farmlands dotted with sporadic trees, cattle, cows, buffaloes, sheep, goats, and more.
Editor’s Note: “This majestic wellness retreat in Maharashtra embraces the timeless language of traditional architecture. The built spaces meld seamlessly with nature, inviting the serenity of the landscape into every corner. Constructed with basalt stone, timber frames, and a pot-tile roof, this haven is crafted by local artisans whose skills breathe life into every detail.” ~Simran Khare
The Wellness Retreat Near The Sahyadri Range Responds To The Setting | A for Architecture
The region has a hot and dry climate, especially during summers, but enjoys pleasant monsoons and winter conditions. The design of most spaces creates shade with minimal walls, allowing maximum natural light and ventilation.
All the buildings have courtyards and green pockets, making the project breathable and decreasing the ambient temperature. Thereby adding the necessary moisture required in a hot and dry climate.
The second intention of this Wellness Retreat project was to understand and incorporate building practices from the Beze village and surrounding settlements. Typically, houses here have a stone plinth, a timber framework, brick or mud walls, and clay pot tiles for roofing.
The monolithic character of the buildings also helps in framing a continuous contrast between the landscape, the sky, and the space of the building, thereby always pushing the attention of the person from the building to the landscape, the environment around them, and perhaps even to themselves.
Construction activities, like most other activities, are seen as a cooperative set of activities and a form of mutual exchange of skills, labour, and resources. For instance, a mason builds a house for a farmer, who in turn pays him back in grains or by offering other skills. The project uses three materials: basalt stone, a timber frame, and a pot-tile roof.
Since the project is in a remote location, it helped to employ and collaborate with the local craftsmen. They have a long lineage of working with these materials. Concrete and steel are minimal. They sourced all materials locally (within 20 to 50 km), reducing the embodied energy.
The stone work on the site was mainly carried out by the Wadari community. The Wadari caste, especially in the rural economy, forms a community of expert stonemasons primarily settled in the Maharashtra and Northern Karnataka belt of India.
The stone is plentiful in the region, hand-quarried, chiselled, and fitted on site by the stonemasons. The project extensively uses basalt for load-bearing walls, steps, courtyards, and landscape features. They deliberately created a monolithic character for the building, resembling a solid stone mould resting gently on the landscape.
This project uses two kinds of timber: 1) Haladu, a yellow-toned timber named after turmeric, is primarily used for the roofing system and columns in specific spaces. 2) Upcycled Wood: Indian teakwood, salvaged from 100 to 150 old dilapidated buildings in the region. It is mostly done by local carpenters headed by a sutar, who is a master carpenter, carrying his skills through generations.
A kumbhar (from the potter community) makes clay pot tiles used for roofing using traditional methods learned over decades, typically within the community itself. The changing economy and building practices in the villages narrowed their practice down to only pot-making.
This was the largest consignment of pot tiles the kumbhar had ever received. As the kumbhar involved various family members and other villagers in the process, it became a good economic opportunity for the community.
Spatially speaking, the project intends to deliberately invoke a sense of inhabiting the historically prominent architectural types of the region. Historically speaking, several political and spiritual practices have left their architectural traces in the landscape of the Sahyadri Hills and Trimbekashwar.
Among them are the fascinating mediaeval forts, typically built on top of mountains; Wadas, beautifully crafted mediaeval houses of rich merchants; Kunds, subterranean water bodies popular since the Harappan cities and explicitly seen in temple towns across the regions; Chaityas, the beautiful and intricate Buddhist caves and monasteries; and Ghats, the sacred river-front stretches of steps leading to various rivers where architecture and landscape merge seamlessly. Each of these building types has a very specific and memorable spatial quality, which the project invokes in various parts.
For instance, the amenities block comprises five squares, each designed separately with five different functions and corresponding spatial qualities. Naturopathy cluster as Wada; massage rooms as courtyard houses; yoga and meditation dome as Chaityas; swimming pool as Kund; and the amphitheatre and restaurant as ghats.
The five squares merge into one long block, with specific transition spaces. To create a spatial sequence with different volumes, qualities of light and shadow, textures, and movement patterns that are learned from the above-mentioned architectural types, from the region, and an in-depth understanding of the respective functions. One of the results of such an approach is that it creates a heterogeneously homogeneous space.
They conceived the guest rooms mainly as clusters resembling a small settlement with winding streets and courtyards. They organized each cluster as a circle, freely placing it on natural sloping ground to create a meandering path around all clusters at different levels.
The common court shared by four cottages becomes a social space for the guests to interact with each other and enjoy the distant views of the landscape while sitting on their verandahs.
Fact File
Designed by: A for Architecture
Project Type: Hospitality Architecture Design
Project Name: Viveda Wellness Retreat
Location: Trimbak, Maharashtra
Year Built: 2019
Area: 41979 Sq.ft
Design Team: Ajay Sonar, Monali Patil, Tejas Pai & Sushil Sakhare
Photograph Courtesy: Hemant Patil
Clients: Viveda Wellness Retreat
Landscape Design: Suman Shilp
Landscape: Monali Patil (a for architecture), Mahesh Nampurkar (Suman Shilp)
Text By: a for architecture and Shreyank Khemalapure
Source: ArchDaily
The Firm’s Website Link: A for Architecture
Firm’s Instagram Link: A for Architecture
Firm’s Facebook Link: A for Architecture
For Similar Projects >> A Balance Of Contemporary Design And Traditional Elements Indulged In Hospitality
Our urban landscapes are undergoing a rapid transformation, pressured by burgeoning populations and increasing demands on city infrastructure. To address these escalating challenges, urban planners continually revise zoning regulations. In Delhi, for instance, a significant regulatory change introduced mandatory stilt parking on small urban lots with four habitable floors above. Gurugram, a satellite city, subsequently adopted […]
K’s Veranda, the latest pizzeria in the story of K’s Charcoal in Ahmedabad, embodies the spirit of Hiren Patel Architects + Design (HPAD) — crafting spaces that breathe, balance, and belong. What once was a lively, open lawn beside the restaurant has blossomed into a soulful retreat. Here, walls seem to melt into the landscape, and the indoors […]
Set on a 1 acre plot, this North Goan Home inspired by Portuguese Architecture was built a century ago by the erudite Dr. Aquilino Almeida. He was a famous surgeon and doctor of Western India, having been well educated in Edinburgh. He had travelled the world on deputations across Africa, Middle East, Afghanistan. Being Royal Medical […]
Amidst the quiet rhythm of nature, this farmhouse emerges as an architectural retreat – a seamless balance of leisure, comfort, and understated luxury. Designed as a contemporary sanctuary away from the bustle of the city, the residence is imagined as a space where modernity meets serenity, and architecture becomes a bridge between people and the […]
As industrial landscapes evolve, so do the spatial and cultural demands of the workplaces within them. In response to the growing operational and experiential needs of an existing agro-industrial unit in India, this office extension is conceived not as a mere addition of square footage, but as a spatial and philosophical intervention—anchored in ideas of […]
Tucked within the leafy lanes of Sagar Society, Hyderabad, this 7,450 sq. ft. villa rises as a contemporary residence deeply anchored in tradition and nature. Three towering trees frame the structure at its entry, their organic silhouettes tempering the scale of the built form and setting the stage for a home that balances architectural gravitas […]
“Even within the smallest green lies all the purity and freshness of Eden.” This idea became the seed for Eden Moss, a home nestled in an ecological environment and imagined as a breath of freshness, evoking the scent of mud after rain, and seamlessly intertwined with nature while still embracing comfort and contextual charm. Nestled […]
Timeless architectural features, such as courtyards, are always associated with bringing the naturally public forms to the world’s heart, building the most peaceful, secluded outdoor areas. These outdoor spaces maximize the living experience with their private space feature, which gives one the option for leisurely relaxation, recreation, or gardening. Furthermore, it has also been a […]
The Indian farmhouse accommodation goes on to capitalize on a mature evolutionary synthesis of ancestral aesthetics and contemporary features. With this, the outside and the inside of farmhouses became places of comfort with nature. In this blog, we delve into 15 incredible farmhouse designs that entail a harmonious blending. While they exhibit different spaces in […]
Aangan is a modern residence that seamlessly integrates with the lush environment of Kerala, showcasing a tropical home design. Designed to embrace the region’s warm climate, the house features a striking sloped terracotta roof at varying levels, enhancing both its aesthetic appeal and functional efficiency. The structure is enveloped in a vibrant tropical landscape, adorned […]