Nestled under a forested massif in a north-facing bowl of the Khandala hills, the irregularly shaped four acre site rises sixty-five meters, affording spectacular vistas of the entire valley and surrounding tablelands. Three watercourses, running from south to north mark the topography of the site and carry the monsoon runoffs to a masonry aqueduct below the site.
Occupying a prominent location on the hillside, the buildings present a unified aesthetic appearance in consonance with their surroundings. The campus is planned as a series of terraces, each carved out, and retained by basalt walls. As the buildings arise from the landscape, so too, all parts of the landscape are extensions of the built form, an arrangement that defines the continuum between the inside and the outside.
The upper site has two distinct hill shoulders with a ravine between them, making it the most visible natural feature. The presence of the ravine is central to the disposition and design of the upper campus. By lifting the conference centre across it like a bridge and allowing the gorge to flow under, the landscape is allowed to become an integral part of the building. Building against the hill shoulders and bridging across them allows the hill from above, to seemingly flow under in an unbroken sequence, thereby releasing the natural plateaus for amphitheatres and patios.
The guestrooms, situated on steeper slopes are disposed with a common orientation to the vistas in front, in a configuration of staggered clusters. To the rear cavernous spaces are created between the buildings and the exposed hillside, reinforcing the nexus between the inside and outside. A series of semi-covered verandahs and loggias link all the clusters and serve as common areas. With their somewhat linear configurations, these multi-level arbours assume a street-like quality, connecting the various clusters to the hillside and to each other.
By contrast, the gentler slopes of the lower site afforded larger flat areas, more easily adapted for recreational facilities such as the tennis court and swimming pool. The clubhouse itself is built as a series of recessed terrace structures opening on the gardens. Its largely open character reaffirms its spatial connections with its surroundings.
A stepped think-tank, located in the adjacent basin of the by now shallow ravine, forms the focus for the business research and administration building.The Administration building is conceived metaphorically as an entrance portal to the campus, the building’s open foyer serves to connect and assimilate the topography of its surroundings. A cluster of holiday homes and dean’s residence, linked with steps and landscaped scarps, together with a low roofed craft centre built into the hill, complete the varied functions of the lower site.
Picture credits: Mr. Mahendra Singh
