Red Vessel / Laal Jahaaz is a hotel annex located along the Arabian Sea coast, about an hour’s drive from Surat city in Gujarat, India. The context surrounding the hotel consists of rural settlements with diverse flora and constant sea breeze.
Project Name: Red Vessel / Laal Jahaaz
Studio Name: ROOMOOR
Principal Partner: Mahendra Gusain
Design Partner: Dhruv Gusain
Team: Dhaval Modi
Completion Year: 2021
Gross Built Area (m2/ ft2): 2500 m2 / 26900 ft2
Project Location: Ubharat, Gujarat
Photo Credits: Dhrupad Shukla, Dhruv Gusain
The hotel is part of a larger resort plan that includes amenities such as a water park, swimming pools, a children’s play area, and space for social and cultural events. Initially, the hotel building consisted of 35 rooms.
Design Brief:
The objective was to expand the current infrastructure by adding 40 extra rooms, three dormitories, and conference facilities to accommodate cultural events and social gatherings. The new addition is planned next to the existing hotel building on a rectangular land parcel measuring 40 meters in length and 25 meters in width.
Ideation:
The existing hotel building had a typical urban design with rooms on each side of a closed internal passage. The location is close to a public beach frequently visited by city dwellers for weekend getaways. Large shipping vessels traverse the beach horizon, traveling to the industrial port of Surat. The concept of a “jahaaz” or ship is inspired by these seafaring vessels, giving rise to ideas about protective shells, spatial efficiency, modular proportions, and long-term sustainability. The old hotel design is re-structured to create a vessel/jahaaz to blend in with the surroundings.
Spatial Composition:
The hotel’s design considers its temporary and transitional nature, becoming a link between land and sea. Three parallel linear structures connected by semi-open corridors create connections with the natural surroundings. The east-to-west linear blocks provide self-shading and allow for natural ventilation. The four-story Southern block houses 40 rooms, while the two-story dormitory block to the North opens onto the lawn and offers distant views.
Spatial Experience:
The promenade from the ground to the sky is a journey of vivid spatial experiences. Visitors encounter tall red shafts and transition gradually from the entrance’s dark interior to a space filled with natural light. A hidden staircase leads to various terraces where one discovers panoramic views of the coastal seascape. The path culminates on an open sky terrace, where the sea and sky merge in unison. The experience offers a contemplative escape for people to engage with the natural elements.
