DESK STUDY - 1

THE DESERT RESORT

--Rajasthan, India.  ABOUT:

 Location: Mukandgarh Road,

Mandawa, Bikaner highway,
Mandawa - 333704, Rajasthan.
 Distance from Delhi Airport: 245 km
(approx.)
 Distance from Jaipur Airport: 180
km (approx.)
 Distance from Jaipur Railway
Station: 196 km(approx.).
 Distance from Mukundgarh railway
station: 16 km(approx.)
 Distance from Mandawa: 1.4 km
(approx.)

 STYLE OF ARCHITECTURE:

 LOCAL MUD ARCHITECTURE

A pioneer in mud architecture, the resort mirrors and seamlessly

blends in with the desert landscape. All materials have been
locally sourced and hand-crafted. Created as a mud-wall tourist
hamlet by village craftsmen, the exteriors have been decorated
with traditional artwork by the women of Mandawa. Every corner
and crevice of The Desert Resort boasts of the local culture and
craftsmanship.

 The Desert Resort at Mandawa is built atop a magnificent sand

dune flanking the acres of the desert landscape
 Possibility to effectively combine modern creature comforts
with very basic rural dwellings.
 The suites are designed in a cluster of buildings that constitute
one house and are grouped around a courtyard. These clusters
then come together to form the main village’s street.
  MATERIALS:

 In this project, mud was mainly used.

 Mud was not only cheaper but also the most appropriate both, climatically and aesthetically.
Locally available materials were used for construction.
 For the structures sun-dried bricks were used.
 the sun-dried mud bricks for the walls were made on-site.
 Local sandstone was used for door and window frames as thatched roof. well as brackets,
lintels & roof slabs.
 concentric circle with bamboo strips holding the straw together.
 Timber. stone slab polished and painted.
 wooden door and windows.
 The indigenous cooling system,khas tatti window unit system.

 The thatch came from the grass growing on the site itself, and the stone for the foundations,
sills, lintels brackets, roofing slabs, and other built-in furniture came from Ragunathgarh (25
km. away).
 The wooden lathe workers from Laxmangarh were to make a peg and other small fixtures.
 The local village carpenters (Khatis) were to put together and carve them, the local masons
were to build the structures,
 The women from the nearby villages were to hand plaster and finish the wails with moldings,
relief work, embedded mirror work and also mould in mud elements, such as schools,
platforms, grain bins stores, etc. and finally draw on the walls.
 ZONNING & SPACES: The site is divided into two zones the built zone covering an area of 3 acres and the unbuilt zone covering an area of 33 acres.
 ACCOMMODATION :
 The huts/cottages were actually supposed to form a cluster of 8 huts in which 2 huts are
meant to represent the farmers' huts, three weavers' huts, and three potters’ huts.
 They are not placed in a row nor do they share common walls. Cottage
 Amenities:
Each unit is a separate unit and unique and yet a part of the whole cluster.
Air conditioning
 Spaces have been created for social interaction. Electric kettle
 A chakki (stone flour mill) a grinding stone etc. is embedded in the platform & steps Television
outside the huts to indicate how people interact and socialize in rural areas. The Tea/coffee sachets
cottages are built on a brick foundation. Full range of bathroom
 The walls, sleeping platform, etc. are made of brick plastered with mud and covered amenities
Hair dryer 
with cow dung.
Luggage rack 
 Outside the walls and windows are decorated with motifs painted. Mini Refrigerator 
 Each hut is unique, what they all have in common are creature comforts provided Intercom 
which are a bit incongruous with the surrounding. Full power backup
 The walls have niches for old lamps and very quaint mini-windows even have wiremen
to prevent insects from invading the interiors.
 Windows provide light as well as ventilation though they are small in size.
 Floors are plasters with cow-dung roofs some of the huts are thatched while others The cottages feature a double bed, an intimate sitting area and a spacious bathroom. No two
cottages are alike. Each is furnished in a blend of authenticity and modernity, prioritizing the
have stone slab roofs that have been left without polish and paint. guest’s comfort.

Superior Room Suite

Amenities: Amenities:
Air conditioning Air conditioning
Electric kettle Television
Television Bathrobe
Tea/coffee sachets Full range of bathroom
Full range of bathroom amenities
amenities Hair dryer
Hair dryer  Slippers
Luggage rack  Mini Refrigerator
Mini Refrigerator  Tea/coffee maker
Intercom  Tea/coffee sachets
Full power backup Luggage rack
Intercom
Full power backup
Spacious yet intimate, our standard rooms come fully equipped with all basic amenities and are a budget- Wi fi card
friendly option for those who wish to experience rural Rajasthan without compromising on comfort.

Rustic charm meets indulgent grandeur in our suites. Large, spacious rooms with high
ceilings, featuring exquisite decor, richly woven fabrics and antique furniture, our Suites come
equipped with all modern amenities, boasting of an authentic elegance.
 U
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 Weddings

P
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  Signature Experiences
 PLANNING AND SPATIAL ORGANISATION
o Light And Shadow o Dinner On The Dunes
 The entry to the complex is through a gateway sort of cut-out
from where one can see the cluster of mud huts in the framework Performance
of a typical Shekhawati-style gateway.
 The 3m. A wide pathway leads to the huts. After one enters the
entrance lobby, the reception and office are just adjacent to the
main entry from where visitors can easily access the restaurant,
bar, and huts.
 Opposite the reception is a lounge that is sunk by 0.6 m. and the
corridor passes along the lobby overlooking it.

 LANDSCAPE

 All the pathways are paved in brick and are flanked by hedges o Cookouts o Royal Procession
3’height on each side.
 No big trees are seen in the resort due to poor soil conditions.
Only old trees are present which gives a feeling of being sculpted.
 An open dining area presents a magnificent view of the landscape
stretching ahead for miles.
 Light fixtures are placed in the gardens & courtyards to sit and
enjoy the night.
 A conical Obri with a thatched roof and small openings has been
made as a landscape element to give a real effect of a village.

 CLIMATE ASPECTS

Churu's climate is a desert one. In Churu, there is virtually no rainfall during the year.
According to Köppen and Geiger, this climate is classified as BWh. In Churu, the
average annual temperature is 25.9 °C | 78.7 °F. About 374 mm | 14.7 inch of
precipitation falls annually.Churu are in the northern hemisphere. Summer starts here
at the end of June and ends in September. There are the months of summer: June, July,
August, September. The best time to visit is March, October
 DESK STUDY - 2
KONDAN RETREAT RESORT
Location : Palatupana, Sri Lanka
• Architects: Nomadic Resorts
• Area: 5250 m²
• Year: 2017
STYLE OF ARCHITECTURE-
 The vision for Kondan Resort goes beyond the primary purpose of providing
• PUNE, INDIA hospitality with modern amenities at a scenic location and seeks to address
• Architects: PMA madhushala concerns related to its social, regional, and environmental context.
• Area: 5600 m²  Taking clues from traditional architecture, the built-form was evolved as a series of
walls that define private and public spaces, and lend their peripheries to socio-
economic activities reminiscent of historic citadels.  
 The client, originally from Maval, chose to return with a business model that would
also create livelihood opportunities and stimulate the local economy. The attempt
then was to provide the urban visitor an expected level of comfort housed in a
built-form that respects its context and does not alienate its neighbors.

AREAS:
 Only half the 30 acre property has been developed, with the resort facilities
being restricted to 16% of the area, 10% allotted for rainwater harvesting
and power generation, and 23% reserved for reforestation.

SPACES-
 Located on a slope along the backwaters of a lake, only a fraction of the site has been developed, and where construction was undertaken, footprints were optimized to respond to topography,
exiting trees and natural waterways, with portions of the natural surroundings either contained or revealed as views. Imagined on the lines of a historic citadel, the site is subdivided into zones
of increasing privacy, stepped down along the hillside, and defined by eight intersecting walls, each with a unique character specific to its purpose. The resulting interweaving of enclosed,
semi-open, and open spaces cater to different activities:
 The walled campus lends its periphery to various elements of traditional public spaces that facilitate interactions and transactions between visitors and the local community.
  BUILDING MATERIAL:
 Much of the building material was sourced from the site itself.
 Stone from the excavation of water bodies and foundations has been used
extensively in various interpretations of vernacular techniques ranging from dry
pack to dressed masonry to composite boulder concrete.
 During the course of construction, objects such as stone light fittings were sourced
from local craftsmen, and daily-wage laborers from nearby villages were trained in
masonry or other vocational skills that would guarantee them employment as part
of the resort’s maintenance staff. 
 In India, where multiple and diverse cultures have evolved over generations of
living in specific geographies, regional identities, and traditional wisdom are losing
their relevance in an increasingly uniform global culture. Ideas of progress and
permanence have found common expression in the incongruous concrete boxes
found across the country. 
 This project presented us with an opportunity to create a model for development
that is as much about cultural sustainability, and the focus then was not merely
inclusivity, but rather a celebration of the context. And for us the greatest reward
was that, after seeing the resort, someone in a neighboring village built a stone
house for the first time in decades.

CLIMATE:
In Pune, precipitation amounts to 805
millimeters (31.7 inches) per year: so, it is at
an intermediate level. It ranges from 0 mm
(0 in) in the driest month (February) to 180
mm (7.1 in) in the wettest one (July). Here is
the average precipitation.
AAMRAI: Four multi-level suites situated inside a mango orchard,
the spaces of each being draped around one or more courtyards. 
 TARANGAN - A series of six cottages cantilevered off an axial
spine towards a grove frequented by fireflies. 

 THE KUND
(stepped reservoir), a
focal point for such
activities, is flanked by
the bazaar(shopping
street) with workshops
and stalls for artisans,

 RECEPTION AND RESTAURANT: Accessed through the pramukh dwar (ceremonial gateway), the

reception area creates an experiential connection from the public to the private zone via a gently rising, narrow, and
introverted lane that eventually opens onto the restaurant’s main deck with a stunning view of the valley to the
south.
 POOL SECTION
  SWIMMING POOL: Spreads organically through a cluster of trees,
ending in an infinity edge towards the eastern valley.  

POOL PLAN

 HEALTH CLUB AND SPA: located on the north-eastern end of the site, the spaces open
onto the forest, with parts that are open to the public, such as the indoor sports facilities and
gym, being accessed directly from the public area.