#AIExclusive: Express Hotel 11- A typical mountain hotel with a sensitive design approach

Simply tiled

The express hotel with its simple look and facades, tiled alpine roof, and deep eaves expresses the familiar image of a mountain hotel. The monolithic building with its strong presence in the property, surrounded by age-old trees demands a sensitive design approach. The newly created volume is connected through new openings in the existing façade merging the interior spaces between old and new. A three-story atrium with a glazed roof provides daylight to the central part of the ground floor and a panoramic rooftop bar is going to the top terrace. The façades of the two buildings have the same structure that has both the lawns in between called the Nirvana Garden and Vivanta Garden with white color, therefore the disposition between the two is displayed by the volume composition. On its north side, the new building has two levels. The second one accommodates the guest rooms and partly cantilevered it extends towards the green surrounding.

Respecting the architectural interventions

Out of “respect” for the architectural basis of the intervention, the design solution aims to enhance the existing building as a representative of the housing and construction. Simultaneously, the new design tries to make its mark using elements notable for their contemporary language, that are carefully inserted to coexist harmoniously. With the introduction of these new elements, which in no way compromise the viewing of the original spaces and provide a certain spatial quality, the functions of the new brief are achieved for this living and hotel building.

Italian connections

A narrow reception provides the connection to the backyard which has Italian marbles. The proposal removes the lean-too and replaces it with north-facing spaces and creates a connection from the front of the building through to the green spaces of the rear garden.

An emperor’s area

On the center, side is located the “Emperor” – a large bright room, wide open with sliding façade glazing which provides views towards the adjacent garden. This multifunctional area is foreseen for different scenarios such as restaurants, event places, conference rooms, etc. On the second floor over the atrium located are small and big rooms with facilities and a large terrace on two levels above it. On top of the building is a small “rooftop” open-air bar with an amazing view of the national highway. On the ground floor are the car parks with a drop of point. The interior of the building is leaning on historical materials. From the garden, the extension is designed as a pair of interlocking volumes, an Emperor Hall that overlaps a smaller mass of lawns.

Wrapped and over-scaled

Restaurant-style banquette seating extends from the lawn bench, wrapping around the end of the addition and above, over-scaled window frames views to the neighbor’s tree. A flexible room/guest bedroom was included adjacent to the space with a floor-to-ceiling surface mounted sliding door offering privacy when required.

Subtly blended

The amendments are very subtle and aim to blend seamlessly with the existing ones. The aim was to create a continuity between two buildings to offer a timeless experience for the inhabitant without copying the past. The house gathers a gourmet restaurant on the ground floor and a modern residence on top. Each building is both, naturally ventilated, and lit by a large courtyard. This ‘in-house’ lawn is an evolution of the typical service lightwell/air well which existed in the house due to its length. We approached it as a central feature that hosts an interior landscape that blurs the inside-outside boundaries. A light metal spiral staircase distributes each of the rooms of the house. It creates a surprising narrative for the house as one walks up the stairs. After climbing the stairs, one ends at the top of the building, which we call the nest. It is a hidden lightweight structure made of the Madurai gold granite and Paradiso, only visible from the inside, offering a view to the national highway which leads to Bhopal.