Rass hotel is a boutique hotel located in the heart of the historic center of Jodhpur in Rajasthan. The new hotel is built within three existing heritage buildings that have been carefully restored. The real beauty of the place is to be found in the 3 new buildings have been added to the complex. The new addition has been done with such finesse that if one looks at the photos, it is hard to see where old ends and the new begins. The planning of the new complex is a great example of adaptive reuse and historic preservation. The new buildings are carefully sited and sized such that they become a part of the historic buildings and landscape.
Existing Site plan with three original heritage buildings.
New site plan for Raas hotel with new buildings added into heritage compound.
In order to blend the old with the new, the designers have used local red sandstone as the dominant exterior material. The real nuance in design lies in the manipulation of the material into screens that evoke the traditional 'jaali' but are fiercely contemporary in pattern and the way they fold out of the way to enhance transparency, frame views and create indoor-outdoor spaces.
We love everything about this space and architecture, and want more of the same !
Designed by Lotus Praxis Initiative. Watch architect Ambrish Arora’s presentation on the design for Raas.
Link to Raas Hotel Website.
Raas Hotel won the award for Best Holiday Building at the World Architecture Festival 2011.
Most images courtesy of Designboom.