Tala Treesort
an Eco Resort in Forest Hills, Tala
Year -
2017,
Type -
Hospitality,
Recreational,
Interior,
Themes -
Sustainability,
Context,
Transparency,
Status -
Completed,
Design Team - Shefali Balwani + Robert Verrijt + Khushboo Asrani
Size - 225 sq.m.
Program - Forest Retreat
Client - Forest Hills
The Tree Villa perches on the cliff of a 160 acre hilltop 'treesort' property surrounded by a meandering river landscape. The idyllic setting in Tala on the West coast of India, is a stone's throw away from the Kuda caves. Nearly 20 centuries ago, Buddhist monks instinctively understood the qualities of this meditative landscape and made the hills their home.
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The Tree Villa is conceived as a celebration of this landscape by creating a series of blurred transitional spaces with different levels of transparency and openness within this forested tropical setting.
The horizontal openness and airiness of the large voluminous space below a dominating thatched roof is emphasised by wrapping it with a layer of operable glass. The curved corners of this glazed wooden framework display a panoramic exhibit of nature. The curves create a sensual luxury and bring softness to the space. A second layer of a tie dyed bordered sheer curtains filters the harsh light during the midst of the day and nestles three other enclosures as well.
The volumetric composition of partly white, partly reflective and transparent surfaces within a wooden framework animate and lighten up the space. It questions conventional definitions of exterior and interior and reinterprets notions of privacy and exposure.