Villa Ecotiva, a hotel building in Kottakupam, urban area near the tourist city of Pondicherry. The aim of the design of this hotel is to give the users a very healthy, sustainable environment and break from the urban jungle when they are in a holiday.
Project Name: Villa Ecotiva
Studio Name: RP Architects
Location: Pondicherry
Principal Architect: Ramya Prasad
Plot Area: 403.90 sq.m / 4346 sq.ft
Built-up Area: 452.65 sq.m / 4870.44 sq.ft
Project Cost: 1.2 crores
Cost/sq.ft: 2500 rs/sq.ft
Year of completion: 2019
Photographer: Vishal Guptha C M, Akshay Arora, Ramya Prasad
The design of the hotel is based on a modernised courtyard concept. The central core of the hotel is a courtyard with a waterbody. Entrance ramp / passage climbs over the water body to reach the reception of the hotel. The corridor to the rooms faces the courtyard.
The hotel is design with 3 family rooms – a small living area, bedroom with working space, a bathroom with Jacuzzi and a balcony overlooking into the front entrance garden space; 3 deluxe rooms – a bedroom with workspace, a bathroom with Jacuzzi and a baloncy overlooking into the rear side garden space of the hotel; one game room and a roof top café.
The design focuses on the passive cooling techniques – Stack effect and cross ventilation as the main design feature. This lets in natural ventilation and lighting to all the rooms and the water body cools the incoming air and has a pleasing ambience.
Each room is built with 3 main sides with Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks (CSEB) walls and one side with waste cuddapah stone strips. Both these materials are high density materials. These prevents the heat radiation through walls. And are low embodied energy materials.
The design of rooms is made to give luxurious facilities and ambience with minimalist finishes. The flooring is with natural Thandur and Cuddapah stones on the corridors and wet areas, traditional oxide floors in the rooms.
The interior of the room is done with all antique furniture and with doors and windows with old reclaimed kalimaruthu wood. This adds to the traditional ambience designed spaces of the rooms with old memories.
With all these natural finishes and traditional designs, the spaces offers a user a unique experience and gives them a memorable and heathy stay.
