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Architecture

2022

Photographer : Niveditaa Gupta

Sequestered in the envelope of Guwahati's alpine-dotted hills, BAH is an echo through time that signals its intention of rethinking recreation through the appendages of rooted materiality and earthy minimalism.

Cradled in the timeless embrace of the rugged Assamese foothills and towering evergreen emeralds, dwells BAH. A dynamic entity, this architectural intervention engages in a ceaseless yet silent exchange with its context, almost emerging from the land and existing in a sense of untainted repose.

The Northeast has viewed and preserved its relationship with nature in a sacrosanct light, unimpeachably amalgamating its architecture, culture, and craft with its preservation. The brief at hand and the driving catalyst at BAH stemmed from reflecting upon the raw potential of the site. The aspiration was to build in resonance with the challenging boulder-strewn topography and make the contours a part of the spatial blueprint. Nature had been a resident of the space for times immemorial and building with astute devotion to that reality was the only way forward.

A nodal destination within the larger hospitality masterplan of The Greenwood Hotels & Resorts, BAH's intention is far removed from the conventional perception of what recreation can look and feel like. The venue inhabits a focal position within the larger programmatic construct, allowing the patrons to encounter the same as they traverse the journey towards their accommodation or the administrative sections of the property. BAH occupies a unique and pivotal vantage point within the site, establishing a tangible dialogue amidst the guests and the pristine verdant landscape. The lofty ranges pose as a guardian-like mise-en-scène against which the unassuming structure holds its own.

In Assamese, the word 'Bah' / বাহ translates to a Nest; a humble yet intricate latticed art of shelter-creation that Mother Nature seems to have ingeniously taught its wee and mighty creatures alike. Analogously, the impetus became the genesis of a snug and inviting space ensconced in surrounding greenery — one that bore its immersive milieu open to an end-user to feel unfettered yet instantly at home. Sciography in its interplay of light and shadow whispers life into the quaint structure, casting a fleeting medley of visuals as the sun traverses the cyanic highland skies.

The native architectural ethos of the state seeps in ever so inconspicuously into the demeanor of the space and its indulgence of minimalist geometry. Influenced from late modern period architecture and the omnipresence of wood and local stone, BAH steers clear of superfluous ornamentation and pays a neoteric homage to the vernacular of the city.

The clients visualized this recreational space lending its volume to patrons for an array of versatile functions that have become a homogenous extension of one's living and rejuvenation regimens in the current times. The petite floor plan hosts spaces to unwind, converse, contemplate, and work — creating a layered ambiance that juxtaposes solitude and socialization upon a whim while nature revels in its glory right across the structure's threshold.

"Design is so simple, That's why it is so complicated." — Paul Rand

Guwahati,Assam,India

Architects	:	Indihaus Design
Area	:	1200sqft
Year	:	2022

This axiom seems to hold within its words the essence of all that unfolds at BAH. The evolution of the space stripped down to its bare necessities, demanded an exalted degree of design detail orientation. BAH's unpretentious cuboidal structure stands with a quiet dignity upon the heightened contoured parcel of land, crowned suavely by its inclined roof. A monolithic vision, the structure is a collage of exposed cool grey concrete, naturally finished teak wood and local stone that seems to play camouflage against its backdrop of the untamed hills. The curated choice of materials also bears the promise of ageing with grace and building a patina that can narrate a saga of nature, time, and the built environment conceived herein.

Enveloped in 9-inch-thick insulating concrete walls, the structure has been a result of a climatically responsive design that keeps the interior volume warm and cool depending on the temperature that prevails outdoors. Kota stone has been laid in various orientations across the expanse of BAH — indoors the 2-feet x 2-feet square slabs have been fixed and outdoors the pattern has been broken into 2-feet x 1-foot slabs arranged symmetrically to demarcate the transition amidst various levels.

The protagonists in the design scheme are the louvered teak wood sliding windows and doors that imbue BAH's being with a tactile element of vitality, perpetually brewing a conversation between the interiors and exteriors. These slatted shutters draw light into the structure experimentally, projecting dramatic strobes of illumination indoors which mimics a cluster of straws. A structural origami of sorts, these sliding fenestrations seem to collapse inventively to reveal the spaces inside or to screen them from all that transpires outside, creating a cocoon of serenity.

The gleaming morning light permeates the heart of BAH, filtering through the tall canopies of the mountain trees. This creates a surreal silhouette on the walls, which pose as rightful canvases for nature to paint its imagery over. As dusk bathes the sky in a midnight blue hue and the constellations above glisten, the indoors at BAH are illuminated in a warm light that renders it the appearance of a glowing beacon and ignited ember embedded in the woodlands of Guwahati.

A stated crossover amidst simplicity, pragmatic function and earthiness comes uncorked within the walls of BAH. Inside, the compact floor plan creates two core zones that are in an incessant tête-à-tête under the wooden rafter-lined high ceilings. By the floor-length fenestrations on one end rests a low height diwan seat swathed in soft French blue upholstery. On the other end, a built-in umber-doused desk and wall-mounted bookshelf layer the wall. This wall is further punctured by a framing window that offers the end-users uninterrupted views of the great outdoors. The tonal green leatherette chairs are a nod to drawing the greenery inside, conjuring a biophilic inspiration.

In keeping with the pre-existing contours of the site, BAH's expanse spills into the bordering foliage, wherein fixed polished grey Kota stone benches, black pedestal stone tables, and planters bask under the swaying and soaring palms. This creates an outdoor alfresco open yard for patrons to mingle in, explore, and even work from when they wish to share the company of the many sights and aromas of nature.

BAH's identity seems to emanate from inspiration found in the breathing forests and its many stirring marvels that are the harbingers of the message of transformation. Like nature itself, BAH draws in on the notion of pausing, reinventing, and knowing that every moment is ever-morphing yet eternal. It beckons anyone who crosses paths with it to untether from the urban chaos, reminding us that most times respite and tranquillity are discovered in places we didn't deem we would find them.