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AN ESCAPE INTO THE WILDERNESS- Java Rain Resort
- Rohini Gomez Braganza
- August 8, 2020
- 5:13 am
ARTICLE CONTENTS
PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS
Project: Java Rain Resort
Location: Chikmagalur, Karnataka, India
Year Of Completion: 2017
Site area: 60,000 sq ft
Architecture firm: Cadence Architects, Bangalore, India
The design team: Nirali Ashra, Smaran Mallesh, Vikram Rajashekar, Narendra Pirgal, Rejin Karthik
“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you”
– Frank Lloyd Wright
Come away with me on a virtual getaway into the tranquil countryside of Chikmagaluru, Karnataka. There in the midst of mountains and rainforests of the evergreen Western Ghats is tucked away, a secret hideaway. Set in the midst of a picturesque 40 acre coffee estate, is a composition of unique monolithic structures that theatrically traverse along the undulating terrains of the hills. Posing in different ways in celebration of mother nature itself. The architecture is so organic that it indeed has such a sense of belonging, being one with the untamed wilderness.
Let us embark on an escapade into this theatrical showcase, to discover everything that is true to the Java Rain Resort.
EMBARK ON AN ESCAPADE
As you drive cautiously along the misted foothills of the Mullahangiri hills, prepare to get immersed into the distant chattering of leaves and the forest wild. The sound of your car tyres crunching dried twigs strewn onto the ground seem quite eerily amplified midst nature’s orchestra. Now on the final stretch of the journey, the first sight of civilization pleasantly surprises. The entrance gates of the Java Rain Resort!
The gates swing open with a friendly face to welcome you, he points in the direction of the concierge set at the heart of the estate. It appears at a distance, set into a grand contemporary architecture at a cul de sac, the final terminating point of our long road journey.
The Java Rain clubhouse.
The Clubhouse
After an extended morning on the road, it is time to finally disembark from your drive into the freshness of the Resort setting. A dramatically grand architecture welcomes you. This is where the concierge and lounge space are accommodated, part of the Java Rain clubhouse.
The clubhouse showcases the most theatrical work of architecture on the estate. It comprises an organically shaped canopy that appears to levitate naturally off the ground, supported by 3 ferroconcrete columns. The columns are abstract interpretations of forest flowers, with petal like arches sensually moulded into the canopy like clay.
Although you may be enthralled by the artistry of its design-engineering, the clubhouse attempts to shun away a bit of the limelight by naturally framing the uninterrupted picturesque sceneries beyond. It sports a neutral color palette, of white-washed columns and canopy and grey stone tiles for the flooring. This enables the surrounding forested landscapes to add to the missing colors into its composition. A unique streamlike water feature runs along the periphery creating quite a calming atmosphere.
With a tiresome journey just behind you, you may like to catch a quick lunch at the restaurant a level just below. Making your descent along a strategically veiled staircase, a sun kissed restaurant appears.
The restaurant has a biotic layout with extensive glazing all along its peripheral walls to serve unobstructed views. With the structural columns concealed within the interiors of the layout, the exterior glazing dissolves into the scenery, making the slab levels appear unconnected to each other.
Its interiors adorn a warm array of tones and textures in their furniture and finish. The browns of the wooden flooring, furniture and staircase fins are complemented with accents of purple/burgundy fabric or leather upholstery.
The interior dining space spills out onto an open-air dining deck that merges with the terracing landscape along the sides of the building. From here, an oblong blue infinity pool and wooden lounge deck can be seen, one level lower. The composition of the pool deck appears quite idyllic to unwind, thrusting against the untamed wilderness along its periphery.
The restaurant spill out deck serves as the best vantage point of the clubhouse facade. All its levels cascade gently into contours against the hillside, emulating the landscape as naturally as possible.
One could not wish for a more ideal spot to devour a hot lunch.
The Cottages
Rejuvenated from a sumptuous lunch, you can now embark on a post-lunch adventure by foot, across the expanse of the coffee estate.
Traversing along tree-covered pathways from the clubhouse, a few cottages appear, politely perched into the landscape’s terrain. They seem spaciously distanced from one another, independently pitched to create a private sanctum for each of its inhabitants. The cottages courteously oblige and emulate the unique sloping terrain of the hillside, set at differential levels. The intention to provide each cottage with uninterrupted views of its very own. What further draws you along this yellow brick road is the design of the cottages itself.
The cottages appear contemporary in terms of materials and form, and are quite unlike the conventional picture of traditional pitched roof villas. The roof reinterprets butterfly wings in an abstract profile, levitating beautiful over extensively glazed wall facades of the single story structures. This floating effect is accentuated by cylindrical structural columns that are strategically hidden in the interiors of the facade walls. The only medium of connection between the facade walls and roof itself are unframed glass clerestory windows, creating a truthfully deceiving image of a floating roof.
Let’s check into our very own cottage, to experience this uniquely designed composition.
The villas may be of different sizes and cater to varied numbers of visitors, from 1bhk single villas, 2bhk twin villas or if you’d rather choose a more luxurious option, the 3bhk presidential villa is there to avail of.
The Presidential villa is unlike the other villa designs in terms of Architectural showcase and interior design. It has a more luxurious and contemporary arrangement.
No matter what you choose, all accommodations promise uninterrupted views of the surrounding valleys.
Complementing the unique configuration of the villas, is a tastefully minimalistic and rustic palette of materials and color tones. Naked concrete surfaces, white washed walls, and warm wood textures, create a naturally calming composition to experience. The interiors adorn off-white tones in its fabrics, drapery, linen and is accentuated with sudden pops of bright blues in furniture upholstery or bed runners. All these colors and textures come to life, amply sunkissed by the sunshine penetrating through the extensively glazed exteriors.
Interiors of the Single & Twin Villas
Interiors of the Presedential Villa
It may be difficult to extract yourself from a tranquil setting of the villa, but there’s much more that needs to be discovered. An afternoon teatime spa indulgence at the clubhouse couldn’t be more inviting to unwind.
The Spa
One can enter the labyrinthine layout of the spa via a tunnel, framing a scenic vista of the spa itself, perched amid the lush landscapes.
It manifests a composition of two conjoined miniature cylindrical huts, that are crowned by conical thatched roofs. The external color scale restricts itself to bare grey concrete and brown of the roof thatch. The modest design shuns away the limelight as it stands timidly alongside the enormous sculpture of the clubhouse.
Refreshed and pampered, the holiday truly starts to sink into your skin.
But wait! There is still time to catch the sunset before the panoramic sceneries dissipate into the darkness of night.
An opportune moment to avail of ‘the treehouse’.
The Treehouse
Standing tall and perched delicately amid a rocky outcrop is our last stop of our day at Java Rain Resort, ‘The treehouse’.
Sitting at the edge of the site, the 3-storeyed structure emulates the form of the tall trees that surround it. The slabs and midlandings cantilever in a way that their layouts stagger when stacked one on top of the other, like the branches of a tree. On entering the treehouse you may be welcomed by a glorious cascading waterfall feature, splashing into a pool at the entrance, from the slab level above you. The bare cantilevered slabs at all levels adorn accent wooden false ceilings giving it a refreshing appeal, visible to those approaching it from a distance. It’s time to make our way up to the restaurant accommodated at the highest level of the treehouse, our last stop for the day.
Reflect upon your awe-inspiring day that was indeed well spent, with a cocktail in hand. Viscerally stimulated by the surrounding amplified rustling of tree canopies brushing against the treehouse and the sweet scent of the breeze, watch the crimson sun peacefully set behind the dark mountain silhouette beyond.
“I believe in God, only I spell it Nature.”
-Frank Lloyd Wright
AN IDYLLIC HOLIDAY
My reflections at the treehouse…
“Today has been an incredibly mesmerizing day at the Java Rain Resort since we arrived this morning. We have experienced a design intervention that is so experientially refreshing, perfectly calming to our city nerves.
Traversing amid such architectures, that are so modestly yet elegantly strewn into an untamed wilderness, has been a very humbling discovery. The interior and exterior architectures attempt to gracefully converge with the natural tranquility, that at times it is difficult to decipher what is belonging to the composition itself.
Their virtue is not to command over a territory, for Architecture to selfishly celebrate itself, rather to be one within the tranquility in celebration of mother nature.
My friend and I have a few more sunsets to behold, at this hidden paradise.
It is not the end”
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Photography & Videography provided by, Java Rain Resort, Chikmagalur, India
Project drawings, specifications & Photography provided by the respective Architecture Firm
Analysis & Article written by Architect Rohini Gomez Braganza