Project Name: The Golden Tusk Resort, Ramnagar (Nainital)
Architectural Group: M:OFA Studios
Principle Architect: Manish Gulati
Principle Planner: Tanushree Gulati
Design Team: Sebastian Peter, Priyanka Mahajan, Richa Gupta
Client: Mr. Sanjay Lakhotia
Contractors: Ivory Destinations Pvt. Ltd.
Project Location: Ramnagar (Nainital), Uttarakhand, India
Project Area: 28,000 sqm or 300,000 sqft(approx.)
Built Up Area: 40,000 Sq ft (first phase) or 3700 sqm (approx.)
Project Type: Hospitality
Project Duration: 2010-2012
Photography: Dev Singh, Mridul Sharma
Text: M:OFA Studios
The experience within the resort would include a day-out at the dairy and the poultry farm. Further, there is a true emphasis on an organic vegetable, fruit and herbal garden from where the fresh produce along with the produce from the dairy and the poultry farm would be served in the gourmet restaurant throughout the day.
Abutting Jim Corbett National Park, Bijrani Range and Dhela river,viz a viz the location and design both, the Golden Tusk Resort reunites cosmos and nature with mankind. It rekindles, restores and respects this bond. The ideology of meeting and observing nature is clearly woven into the architecture planning and the program formulated for the resort.
Built with locally available materials, the design emphasis was in developing a rich experience through a cosmological relationship between the user and the pure surrounding nature.
The changes in seasons, the change in light throughout the day as in the Zen philosophy, were considered as prime ideas to uplift the human spirit and provide solace to the souls coming from the jostling loud urban life to spend a weekend here.
Right from the Reception, exhibition gallery meant for nature lover photographers, Residential accommodations of various kinds (Forest view suites, Villas, luxury tents), a gourmet restaurant (that serves food using fresh organic ingredients grown on the resort), Swimming pool, recreational areas and spa are all arranged along a water rivulet that runs like a spine throughout the length of the site with multiple sit-out spaces and porches.
The water rivulet itself is created by channelizing a natural stream of water that runs through the site, unobstructed yet fresh.
The villas and suites all have buffer spaces in the form of porches that become a part of the surrounding landscape carefully created by species that not only invite the local birds, but also tease all the senses right from vision, taste, smell and touch.
Throughout the resort, the use of local stone masonry, reclaimed wood carpentry and metal works are all reflections of the local craftsmanship and materials of the surrounding regions that maintain a sensitive bond of sustainability by keeping the old professions alive.
Apart from above a feature of growing and maintaining organic gardens through conducted workshops within the resort teaches the city dwellers the concept of sustainability and self-sufficiency minimizing the waste.
[author] [author_image]http://www.howarchitectworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Manish-Gulati_Profile.png[/author_image] [author_info]Manifestation of Fluid Architecture (M:OFA) , places itself as a comprehensive architectural design and urban design firm where the focus is to remain at power with the contemporary global language of architecture & simultaneously spontaneously develop an indigenous design practice.[/author_info] [/author]
