case studies

3 STAR HOTEL
 HOTEL SUNYATA
LOCATION : CHIKKAMAGALUR , KARNATAKA

LANDMARKS: BEHIND AIT COLLEGE,

CHIKKAMAGALURU

ARCHITECTS : DESIGN KACHERI

CHAITRA SARAF , NIDHISH KURUP

AREA : 10000 Ft^2

AIM OF THE PROJECT

TO ACHIEVE A
COMPLETELY ECO TO PROVIDE PROVIDE
FRIENDLY BUILDING RELAXING ORGANIC
WITH THE LEAST SPACES ESSENCE
AMOUNT OF CARBON APART FROM TO END
FOOTPRINT POSSIBLE. CITY LIFE. USER.
CONNECTIVITY AND
ACCESSIBLITY
5 km from Chikkamagaluru Railway Station

Rickshaw, Buses, ola, uber available

Government Primary Health Centre at the

distance of 1.4 KM from hotel.

Holy Cross Hospital at the distance of 1.5

PLACES TO VISIT NEAR HOTEL
KM from hotel 1.Chennakeshava temple, Bellur- 27.2 KM
Petrol Pump at the distance of 1.2 KM from
hotel 2. Halebidu Temple- 36.5 KM

3. Hebbe Falls- 67.4 KM

4. Kudremukh National Park- 99.5 KM

 SOCIAL FABRIC

DEMOGRAPHICS LIFESTYLE
OCCUPATION CULTURE CHIKKAMAGALURU IS A
CHIKKAMAGALUR
HAS A RURAL CITY.
AGRICULTURE CALLED “THE TOWN OF THE SCHOOLS, COLLEGES,
POPULATION OF EDUCATIONAL YOUNGER DAUGHTER”
APPROXIMATELY DEGREE INSTITUTES,
ADMINISTRATIVE IT IS HERE THAT BABA THEATRES, STADIUM, ETC
11.35 LAKH BUDAN DISCOVERED COFFEE
THE DOMINANT PROVIDES LEISURE IN
FOR THE FIRST TIME AND RESIDENTS LIFE.
LANGUAGE BROUGHT IT BACK TO INDIA.
SPOKEN IN WAS RULED BY HOYSALA
CHIKKAMAGALUR DYNASTY IN ITS EARLY
IS KANNADA. TIMES.
DOMINANCE OF HOYSALA
ARCHITECTURE FOUND.
KAILASH FAIR : IT IS A MAJOR
FAIR CELEBRATED IN
HONOUR OF LORD SHIVA
WHO IS BELIEVED TO HAVE
APPEARED HERE IN THE
4.38 L 3.80 L FORM OF A STONE LINGAM
 SUN PATH WIND DIRECTION

CHIKKAMAGALURU

Daylight duration : Shadow length (1m) : Altitude : WIND SPEED

12h49mn 0.84 m 12.00° 3.4 M/S

 SERVICE CORE
An element that gathers the space necessary to provide
visual, physical and functional vertical connections that work
effectively to distribute services through the building.

1 2 3
CIRCULATION: SERVICES: DUCTS:
Vertical circulation Water pipes- providing Toilet ducts
takes place with the water to all floors AC ducts
help of elevator and Electrical cables- Kitchen chimneys and
staircase. providing electricity ducts
For horizontal Fire services- security in
circulation passages case of a fire
and lobbies are there.
SUNYATA ECO HOTEL IS DESIGNED AND BUILT TO
DEMONSTRATE HOW A BUILDING IN AN URBAN
SCENARIO ON AN OPTIMAL SITE SIZE CAN BE A
SUSTAINABLE AND ECO-FRIENDLY STRUCTURE.

THIS APPROACH EXTENDS BEYOND JUST THE

MATERIALS CHOSEN OR CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES
BUT ALSO TO THE ENTIRE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS
AND THE DAY TO DAY OPERATIONS ONCE THE HOTEL
STARTED FUNCTIONING.

THE REQUIREMENTS AND FUNCTIONING OF A BOUTIQUE

HOTEL WHERE AESTHETICS, EXPERIENCE, COMFORT
AND LUXURY GO HAND IN HAND WERE GIVEN UTMOST
IMPORTANCE.

THE PROJECT BRIEF WAS TO ACHIEVE THESE IN A

COMPLETELY ECO FRIENDLY MANNER WITH THE LEAST
AMOUNT OF CARBON FOOTPRINT POSSIBLE.
THE HOTEL IS PRIMARILY
BUILT WITH LOCALLY
AVAILABLE EARTH WHICH IS
USED IN VARIOUS FORMS -
MUD BLOCKS, POURED
EARTH, RAMMED EARTH AND
MUD CONCRETE.

NATURAL LIGHT, VENTILATION

AND HEAT IS REGULATED BY
INCORPORATING BRICK
JAALIS AND MUTUAL
SHADING TECHNIQUES.

THIS HOTEL IS LARGELY

DESIGNED AS A LOAD
BEARING STRUCTURE AND
THUS AVOIDING
CONCRETE COLUMNS.
AGE OLD ALTERNATIVE
CONSTRUCTION
TECHNIQUES LIKE BRICK
VAULTS, JACK ARCH
ROOFS, PRECAST HOURDI
CLAY ROOFS AND FILLER
SLABS HAVE ALL BEEN
USED TO HELP REDUCE
CONCRETE
1. Designed and built using load bearing structure with less than
70% use of concrete and steel.

2. Compressed stabilised earth brick and poured earth walls

using locally sourced soil. Brick moulded and dried on site using
OUTER
SHELL
renewable energy.

3. Coconut shells and clay pots used as fillers in the roof slab to
further reduce concrete.

4. Climatically designed to optimally conduct heat and light with

directions of sun movement.
1. Rain Water Harvesting to conserve and store fresh water in tanks
while recharging the well and ground water.

WATER
2. Rain water collected from terraces is stored in an underground
50,000 liters tank devoid of air and sunlight to maintain purity. This
water is UV filtered and tested for PPM and TDS to provide the safest
drinking water without having to rely on plastic water bottles.

3. Onsite Eco-Sewage Treatment Plant to recycle waste water. Gray

water being reused for flushing and landscaping.
SOURCE
4. Water saving utilities for efficient use of water.
1. On-Grid hydrid Solar powered battery system to send and
receive electricity with state electric board.

2. Entire building Construction performed using temporarily

ENERGY
installed solar power systems.

3. Energy saving appliances throughout the property from LED

SOURCE
lights to energy star refrigerators. Thermal solar water heaters
with energy efficient Heat pumps in tandem with temperature
sensor water circulation unit.

4. A net Zero approach to produce, consume and distribute

electricity within the facility.
1. A combination of Earth air tunnel and Solar chimneys help maintain
ambient temperature. PVC pipes of 8 inch diameter are laid 10 feet
underground where the earth temperatures remains static between 18 and
22 Celsius.

2. Two Commercial Air turbines connected to the inlet of the pipe in cooler
basement sucks the fresh air from the courtyard. This air then cools at AMBIENT
different layers as it traverses through the length of the pipe and
depending on the season, it can cool anywhere between 20 and 24 degree
Celsius. The air is then pumped into every room using the floor level louver TEMPERATURE
outlet. Cold air pushes the hot air outside the room through the solar
chimneys.
CONTROL
3. A combination of brick structure, design in relation to sun rise and
sunset along with shading methods can facilitate a cooler atmosphere
without the use of air conditioners even during summer.
1. The left-over tiles, flooring stone slabs, waste sand and cement
were used to build the road Infront of the Hotel.
REUSING
2. Much of the fence was made using poured earth method mixed
with building waste.
AND
RECYCLING
3. All the dust bins in the room are made using recycled tetra pack.

4. The Nylon Ropes covering the courtyard are made from recycled
plastic waste.
WASTE
5. Toilet papers and paper napkins provided to our guest are made
from recycled papers. Dental hygiene kit is made of bamboo too.
1. All furniture's at the property are made using mostly Cane
and bamboo by local carpenters and artist.

2. Many of the chairs and tables are made using refurbished

waste materials and discarded furniture wood from
scrapyard.

3. Bamboo mats, Bamboo cigarette ashtrays, jute composite

INTERIORS
curtains are some of the plant-based solutions easy to make.

4. Sheets, covers and linens are all made by local tailors

using cotton or jute fabric.

5. Handmade cane weave cupboards and cane beds add that

finesse.
The water collected at the courtyard passes
through natural filters and excess water is
collected in a water body.
A 30 feet deep well is excavated for the purpose of
water collection. Breaking away from the common
practice of excavating borewells, the open well
does not have any negative impacts on the aquifers
and also allows for the ground water to percolate
from the sides.
An eco STP takes care of sullage water which is
also recycled for reuse. The unique ECOSTP
technology does not use chemicals or energy to
treat the water. Instead, it mimics the processes of
the natural world using a combination of
microorganisms, plants and gravel to clean sewage
water and return clean water back to mother earth,
completing the ‘cradle to cradle’ sustainable
lifecycle.
GROUND
FLOOR
FIRST
FLOOR
SECOND
FLOOR
ROOF
PLAN
BASEMENT
PLAN
Passive cooling is achieved by incorporating a
combination of solar chimneys(along the south &
west walls) and earth air tunnels connected to
cool air shafts that open into each room inducing
passive ventilation, thus avoiding air conditioning
in all spaces. Three loops of HDPE pipes of
approximately 75m length each are placed at
-3.5m from natural ground level. These pipes start
and end at the air handling units in the basement.
Solar panels are used for producing electricity and
the panels were installed in a phased manner. All
the equipment involved in construction including
brick making was powered by solar energy to
avoid drawing electricity from the grid.

EARTH AIR
TUNNEL LAYOUT
SECTION
SECTION
STANDARD ROOMS
SEMI DELUXE
ROOM
DELUXE ROOMS
SITTING SPACE FOR
OUTSIDE VIEW
PREMIUM DUPLEX SUITE
PHOTO GALLERY