lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, india‘raas jodhpur’ by lotus praxis initiative, new delhi, india – overview of restored site and new hotel block image © rajen nandwana all images courtesy of lotus praxis initiative

 

 

 

in the heart of the walled city of jodhpur, rajasthan, the new delhi-based multidisciplinary firm lotus has collaborated with bangalore-based firm praxis inc. to complete ‘raas jodhpur’ a 39 room boutique hotel. set at the base of mehragnarh fort this structure is the 2011 world architecture festival‘s ‘holiday building of the year’ winner. the 1.5-acre property consists of three 18th century structures located around a central courtyard. the buildings have been restored using original lime mortar and jodhpur sandstone along with the workmanship of 100 artisans to create a tactile experience within the context of the historical city.

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, india the central courtyard shows the relationship of old and new buildings within the surrounding neighbourhood image © andre j. fanthome

 

 

 

the footprint of each building is small allowing for areas such as the pool, dining area, spa and open lounge to be shared by all. using the traditional age-old double skinned structures of the region, the stone lattice performs passive cooling and privacy. the façade panels can be folded away by each guest to reveal uninterrupted views of the fort. the darikjana restaurant is created on the terrace of one of the restored buildings. designed as part tented structure with an extended veranda, the hand-made floors are cast into terrazzo tiles while the folded wall is made of traditional lime plaster and bronze mirror.

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, indiathe primary building becomes a second gate that reveals itself to the courtyard and the view of the fort image © rajen nandwana

 

 

 

the guest rooms are laid out in a linear fashion to maximize the number of rooms and bathrooms that have a panoramic view. exploring the meaning of luxury through the authenticity and simplicity of material creates graphic motifs throughout the space. the floors, bed and seating are cast in hand polished terrazzo. the wall separating the room from the ensuite is made of hand dressed 11′ high slabs of 50mm thick local sandstone, which has had cut diffusers for air-conditioning. the bathrooms are finished in white pebble surface. all furniture and lamps were custom designed and manufactured in the city using sheesham hardwood.

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, india baradari overlooking the pool image © andre j. fanthome

 

 

 

using sustainable practices, as their method of construction all the rainwater runoff from the building is harvested through pits which are integrated into the landscape. 100% of the wastewater is generated and reused on-site using a sewage treatment plant. taking advantage of the sunlight, solar power is harnessed to provide hot water to the guests. the air-conditioning system is variable refrigerant volume based, which is amongst the greenest technologies available with a platinum LEED rating. over 70% of the materials and workers were locally sourced within a 30km radius area.

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, indiasmall details such as an embedded mirror capture and deconstruct views of the fort and the old city image © andre j. fanthome

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, indialattice wall image © andre j. fanthome

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, indianew block of rooms with sandstone shutters image © andre j. fanthome

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, india detail of lattice wall image © andre j. fanthome

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, indiadetail of alfresco restaurant in lime plaster and bronze mirror image © andre j. fanthome

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, indiathe alfresco section captures the site’s old and new spirit through a simple palette of lime plaster, stone and timber image © andre j. fanthome

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, india view of the fort from a rooftop blue suite image © andre j. fanthome

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, indiahandcut stone screens render the corridors with light image © andre j. fanthome

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, india hand dressing in patterns by local stone craftsmen image © andre j. fanthome

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, india multiplicity of textures through the day image © kaushal parikh

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, india folding handcut stone shutters line room balconies image © andre j. fanthome

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, indiathe room serves as a gallery looking out onto the property and the fort image © andre j. fanthome

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, india seating area image © andre j. fanthome

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, indiaheritage suites are rendered in a palette of lime plaster, stone, handmade terrazzo tiles, and bespoke furniture image © andre j. fanthome

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, india washrooms are cast in hand poured white terrazzo image © kaushal parikh

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, india hand dressed stone slabs divide room from washroom image © kaushal parikh

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, india entrance to heritage suites image © raas jodhpur

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, india courtyard of heritage suites image © raas jodhpur

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, india heritage suites image © raas jodhpur

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, india restored 17th century haveli converted into spa image © andre j. fanthome

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, india 17th century pavilion in restored in lime plaster image © andre j. fanthome

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, india the terrace restaurant is a contemporary graphic rendition of traditional rajasthani motifs taken from local textiles image © andre j. fanthome

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, india restored and relocated pavilion against new wing image © andre j. fanthome

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, india al fresco restaurant with furniture in local wood image © andre j. fanthome

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, india the integration of the hotel into the fabric of the old city image © andre j. fanthome

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, india at dusk the stone screen acquires a lace-like quality image © andre j. fanthome

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, india the local jodhpur blue frames a new staircase image © andre j. fanthome

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, india sectional study of site with respect to fort image © rajiv majumdar (praxis inc.) ambrish arora (lotus design services)

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, india existing site image © rajiv majumdar (praxis inc.) ambrish arora (lotus design services)

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, india site plan image © rajiv majumdar (praxis inc.) ambrish arora (lotus design services) lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, india 3d model of hotel building image © rajiv majumdar (praxis inc.) ambrish arora (lotus design services)

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, india schematic section of one of the new hotel wings image © rajiv majumdar (praxis inc.) ambrish arora (lotus design services)

lotus praxis initiative designs raas jodhpur boutique hotel in new delhi, india room floor plan image © rajiv majumdar (praxis inc.) ambrish arora (lotus design services)

 

 

 

project info:

 

client: nikhilendra singh, walled city hotels pvt. ltd. year: 2011 area: 60,000 location: jodhpur, rajasthan, india collaborators: praxis inc. bangalore project leaders: ambrish arora & rajiv majumdar design team: arun kullu, radha muralidhara, anuja gupta, ruchi mehta photographers: andre j. fanthome, rajen nandwanalace