Villas in the Woods

A look at an environmentally sustainable villa project coming up in the Kumaon hills in the north Indian state of Uttarakhand by Studio Lotus that leaves minimal footprint on nature. By Amrita Shah. Photographs: Noughts & Crosses LLP

Studio Lotus is an award-winning multidisciplinary design practice based in New Delhi. Headed by Ambrish Arora, Ankur Choksi, Sidhartha Talwar, Asha Sairam, and Harsh Vardhan, the work of the Aga Khan-nominated practice is grounded on the principles of ‘Conscious Design’, an approach that celebrates local resources, cultural influences, an inclusive process and keen attention to detail. With a team of over 100 members, the practice looks at sustainability through the multiple lenses of cultural, social and environmental impact.

Their project Devanya —a 90-acre eco-conscious development in the foothills of Matial, between Bhimtal and Mukteshwar in Uttarakhand is the perfect example of their sustainable approach.

Devanya was conceived as a self-sufficient community comprising of villas that left a minimal footprint on the surrounding deodhar and sal forest. The plot itself comprises of various parcels land that had been purchased over a period. Located in the Kumoan range of the Himalayas, the terrain of the hilly site varies drastically, with gentle and steep slopes climbing up 200 metres to an almost flat, plateau-like top.

The design scheme factors in detailed analyses of the existing terrain, slopes, vegetation, surface drainage patterns, and soil types. These studies were done to identify strategies for watershed management, storm water management, and potential areas for development to minimise cut-and-fill and avoid disturbing the site’s ecology. All built structures were planned a minimum of 5 metres from any water body. Simultaneously, retention points were created for the water, which resulted in the subsequent rising of water tables over the years.

Principal Sidhartha Talwar explains the firm’s approach to the project, “Almost 70% of the site comprises of tree-covered steep slopes with an inclination of up to 45°. To ensure that our response to the site was sensitive, we wanted to minimise the cut and fill the steep site needed. Consulting with the Strategic Centre for Disaster Risk Reduction Nepal, we and our Landscape Architect Akshay Kaul opted to use bamboo reinforcement to stabilise the slopes and reduce the excess movement of soil needed in a traditional cut and fill to construct roads.”

The 11km road that was constructed to access the vast terrain relies on this as well as brush layering, a bio-engineering method that further stabilises the slopes. Stone-built gully plugs allow rainwater to percolate into the ground.

Minimal Footprint

The initial master plan for Devanya included 80 Villas. This was later reduced to 50 and it was decided that the project needed a hotel and a clubhouse to serve as an anchor for the villa community. Two existing houses dating back to the British times were repurposed for this. To be managed by RAAS Hotels, the hotel was allocated 11 acres and is scheduled to open in 2025. The remaining land was then parceled off — demarcated according to gradient, sun exposure, scenery, and tree locations. With the topography of the land so varied, the architects decided to offer three typologies of villas to suit the various hill slopes.

“We knew a static block of concrete that was repeated was not the solution – we needed a module that could be repeated but with modifications. We also wanted to tread lightly on the ground, and realised that a minimal footing that reduced the on-site wet work would cause the least disturbance to the site,” says Talwar. It was also the best solution to ensure reduced water consumption and preserving the natural flow of water along the gradient.

Co-existing with Nature

The architects realised that a prefabricated module that would allow for easy repetition as well as simplify customisation using a plug-and-play methodology seemed ideal. To test their hypothesis, the team set work on the owner’s house as a prototype and christened it the ‘Villa in the Woods’.

Selecting the steepest and most challenging portion of the site, they first constructed a 1:1 bamboo structure as a life-size model. The villa was constructed in a pre-engineered structure composed of Light Gauge Framing Systems (LGFS) comprising of hollow MS sections clad with locally-sourced materials. Not only was this a more economical option than wood, but also easier to transport up the hill while keeping footprint light and creating minimal disturbance to the terrain.

This construction methodology uses a woven structural system like a basket weave, where structural integrity is derived from the composite whole as opposed to the strength of individual members – columns are composed of four hollow tubes as opposed to a heavy, solid member. Concrete piles and tie beams anchor the superstructure, and by anchoring the structural members onto a retaining wall, the architects realized they could create unsupported balconies upto 8-feet deep, which they could use to their advantage to change the interaction of each of the villas with the surrounding forest.

The ‘Villa in the Woods’ was raised on stilts to allow the flow of natural water streams, treading lightly on the ground, preventing damage to the slopes and surrounding trees and coexisting in harmony with the fragile ecology of which it is a part. The dry construction methodology allowed for a smooth construction process with nearly zero-waste generation, and although not commonly used in India, the ideal solution in this context.

The walls were well-insulated and clad externally by ethically sourced and forest certified western grade cedar wood and local slate stone – a material combination that the architects plan to maintain as standard in all the villa facades, but with allowances for changing their proportion to create a sense of unified individuality.

Designed to evoke the experience of tree-house living, the elevated structure is capped by a pitched roof and spacious balconies, offering residents solitude and direct connections with the dense foliage of deodar, chide and oak trees.

The Villa is split into three levels to offer uninterrupted lines of sight. The entry is via a wooden boardwalk into the living quarters that also comprise a kitchen and dining area. A north-facing deck and a south-facing court open to the forest, while the dining area doubles up as a conservatory with its sliding doors, window walls and skylights. The floor above hosts bedrooms featuring floor-to-ceiling bay windows and skylights that frame expansive views of the landscape and the star-studded sky. The lowermost level of the Villa houses the guest bedroom, staff quarters and ancillary facilities, merging with the gradient of the slope under the canopy of native vegetation. The material palette of timber, slate, and local stone builds on the lexicon of koti-banal architecture, endemic to the Kumaon region.

Sustainability and energy-efficiency were paramount concerns in the construction of this prototype. The integration of the native landscape, seasonal water bodies, and large tree cover ensures comfortable ambient temperatures for most of the year. Through the incorporation of passive solar design and the use of vernacular building materials, the design simultaneously addresses aspects of daylight, natural ventilation, thermal comfort, and energy use.

The building orientation and fenestration design ensure that natural light floods all the rooms, reducing energy consumption to a minimum. All wastewater is treated through a phytorid-based system and is reused for horticulture among other purposes. Adequate insulation on all the building surfaces regulates temperature and prevents heat loss during winters.

Although the ‘Villa in the Woods’ took three years to construct, Talwar says that the new villas can now be completed within 18 months with the system they have spent such a long time developing. And until that happens and the hotel opens its doors next year, the original ‘Villa in the Woods’ can be rented out from RAAS Hotels for anyone who wants to experience this magical, ecologically sustainable way of living.

All Images Courtesy Studio Lotus.