AMAYA, ULUBERIA, HOWRAH

Amaya is a holiday inn resort located 40 Km away from the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, in Uluberia, Howrah. Once famous for its natural conservancy of lakes and ponds and the culturally rich settlements evolving around it, the city has lost its balanced biological ecosystem to synthetic expansion. Whilst the rapid urbanization has economically boosted the development, increasing concretization has cost the city its green cover. Increase in urban stress due to competitive use of the limited land resources has led to poor quality of life and urban environmental concerns. The dense urbanity of the city and its depleting ecology has raised its vulnerability to the effects of the foreseen global environmental change. Amaya, attempts to restore the misplaced association of built form and nature by abandoning the trend of vertical high density development and adhering to a biophilic design associated with horizontality.

Spread across a vast area of 12.5 acres, the resort is set amidst a scenic milieu. Nestled away from the humdrum of the city, the inclusive design of this urban getaway sorts to imbibe the bond of human and nature. The resort obscures views of the industrial development adjoining the site. The architects have attempted to retain the natural habitat and embrace it in the design. The existing trees on the site have been preserved as part of a comprehensive planning exercise. Through organic geometry that mimics raw forms, the design seeks to bridge gaps between the built and unbuilt forms. The intricately detailed forms fabricate explorative textures and impart Zen expressions, spawning a sense of discovery amid the users. The design breaks away from the monotony of primal form and conservative design and ventures to amalgamate the built form with its context.

The design of the resort extensively pursues an association with nature, both visually and conceptually. From locally sourced material procuration to continuous and post-occupation evaluation, the design encompasses a comprehensive assessment of sustainability in all aspects of design conception. Fly-Ash used for manufacturing of Fly-Ash concrete bricks used in the project has been sourced from the local thermal plant, employing local village labourers in the production process. Various techniques to incorporate day-lighting and cross-ventilation in the design have been deployed to reduce the energy consumption by shifting the burden from active to passive systems. These strategies cautiously minimise resource consumption and condense lifecycle costs.

The resort has been designed to cater to sizeable events, especially marriages and corporate meets. A sprawling lawn covering over 1,00,000 sq.ft has been envisaged to accommodate the same. This lawn connects to 18,000 sq.ft of an exclusive Banquet hall inclusive of dedicated Bridal Suites and Break away rooms. A reserved kitchen and a devoted space for caterers outdoor kitchen has been placed strategically, making it easily accessible in case of a multi-venue event. The resort also delivers services for hosting destination weddings, offering six distinctly textured event lawns within its premises.

An artificial lake has been conceived on the site, emerging as a focal point of the design. With over three acres in area, the organic shape of the lake imitates its natural derivation. The suites and residential clusters have been assembled along the lake, creating a striking backdrop to their setting. Amaya offers nine exclusive experiences of stay that the users can choose from, these include - first level panoramic views from the lounge, a lagoon connecting private green spaces, swimming pool view, Lake Side suits, Private Lake Deck Suites, Two Presidential suites, Temple-End rooms and Honeymoon suites. The luxurious Presidential suites have been perceived as villas accommodating twin rooms, living area, dining area, a private pool, butler’s pantry and a private green spill-over space. A separate recreation and spa block with an exclusive lawn has been planned for pop-up events serving as a Club for the guests. The dynamic lake front has been further animated with an amphitheatre, performance deck, monsoon deck, fishing deck and the ‘wanderers point’. The rich aquatic biodiversity of the lake stirs it to life.

Amaya’s Reception area houses the experience centre, a boutique store, administration and the events office. It serves as the welcome block, orienting the guests to the striking campus and awaiting hospitality. The swimming pool equipped with Jacuzzi and pool beds is a distinct luxurious experience created in the resort. With lagoons meandering an island, an island bar extravaganza and lush landscape surrounding the pool, a unique explorative experience packed with both privacy and revelations has been created. The dining and lounging facilities that operate throughout the day have been tactfully oriented to capture the panoramic views of the pool deck, central court, lake side development and the array of speciality suites reflected in the tranquil lake.

The inclusive design has been fabricated acknowledging ideologies of Vastu Shastra and Spiritual tourism. In its endeavour to re-establish the connection between man and nature through fusion of the built and un-built forms, the design reveals its underlying principles of disseminating Zen ideologies of a placid and serene environment. A contemporary interpretation of a Hindu temple integrated with Zen philosophies with a dedicated lawn and Goushala has been placed on site.

Amaya has been conceived as raw and neutral in its shade, absorbing all the shades of urban stress and camouflaging with the earthy tones of nature. The authentic architecture appeals to the five senses of its users, engaging them with an intended mindfulness. A play of light and shadow crafted by the unique geometry of bricks renders a simplistic and tranquil texture to this contemporary architecture.