Conversations with Nature

Stone Lodges in Wayanad, designed by Earthitects, are private residences which re-establishes the experience of connecting with both oneself and a natural environment — a relationship that has been severed by our modern, urban-centric lifestyles.

Curated by: Deepa Nair
Photographs: Courtesy Earthitects

The site

Stone Lodges is spread across 15 acres of lush vegetation and grand contours, blending seamlessly into the natural landscape. With a focus on bird and butterfly friendly landscape measures, the site has been afforested by 8,000 endemic trees making it a forested hillside today. The project is designed by Earthitects, a Bengaluru-based design firm whose philosophy is to create ‘around’ nature rather than ‘on’ it. The homes are created such that the existing flora and natural features such as boulders, play their part in enhancing this carefully designed living experience.

The brief

“For our owners, there is now, more than ever, a need for balance and a longing for man to reconnect with nature. A longing fulfilled by the establishment of a home located at the lap of nature. We wanted to provide this ‘second life’ for our owners — a life that would be one with nature,” informs George Ramapuram, principal architect, Earthitects.

The design intent

The villas, 15 in all, are hidden amongst dense foliage and designed with unique elements, keeping sustainability and innovation in mind. Earthitects re-imagined the experience of everyday living by allying with mother earth in designing and creating dwellings that are in harmony with oneself and the natural environment. “Our journey has culminated in every space envisioned and crafted, thus achieving the truest form of spaces and blending seamlessly with the greatest design to exist, nature,” adds George.

The civil intervention

Designed to intertwine with the natural slope of the mountains, yet standing out for its sheer simplicity and understated elegance, Stone Lodges is inspired by the native design aesthetic and enriched by the natural cadence of the mountains. As the design team’s objective was to build around nature rather than on it. Hence, there is no spatial re-tailoring of the site. When a tree or boulder comes in the way of the building, the plan was modified to go around the existing tree or boulder and accommodate it to be a part of the natural design.

The spatial configuration

The zoning of the spaces is such that the private, semi-private and public spaces are well connected yet have their privacy. Enveloped by the grand natural contours, the architecture is perched on three distinct levels. The first and second levels house the spacious residence while the third level comprises the exterior deck with an infinity pool surrounded by lily ponds. Each deck is designed in such a way that it has an endless, unobstructed view of the forest.

The material palette

The materials used are natural, with wooden flooring, random-rubble walls, cobblestone pathways, and log rafters, showcasing a joyous interplay of stone and wood. The wood used in crafting the space portrays its authenticity with “live edges” accentuating the natural character of wood. The floors, joinery, switchboards, skirting and furniture are handcrafted with live edge teak wood that adorns the spaces with warmth and grain. Rough, uncut and unpolished stone each with a character of its own, forms the thick random rubble walls of the lodges. Other natural materials portrayed in Stone Lodges are clay roof tiles, eucalyptus poles in the ceiling, lapotra granite for counters and stone deck floors.

The challenges

“The biggest challenge we faced was designing a dwelling on a natural mountain slope. We took this challenge to our advantage by designing the lodge to achieve the best views of the forest and the surrounding mountains from every space in the home,” says George.

The highlights

Earthitects have arrived at a layout where they had the option for modification of the design based on the position of natural features on site. The lodges are designed in such a way that the masses are connected with bridges that can be pushed or pulled depending on the position of boulders and existing trees.

Crafted with natural materials, every element of the space is made at site including the switch boards, joinery, kitchen counters, shower tray and cabinetry. All of this ensures that every element of the homes are unique to Earthitects.