Ataraxia

Site
The site is located in Antarsumba village near Abhapur village of Vijaynagar taluka, Sabarkantha district of Gujarat. It lies in foothills of the Aravalli range and on the banks of perennial Harnav river.
The site is located in close proximity to Polo Forest (6.8 km), which is already a known eco-tourist place.
The area is rich with varied flora and fauna species with availability of more than 250 medicinal plants across the site in the Ayurveda garden of Antarsumba Ashram.
The site attracts migratory birds during winter and wetland birds during the monsoon.
The area has ancient ruined Hindu and Jain temples.
The site is a natural and scenic place surrounded by mountains where one can explore the river, dam, and ancient temples located nearby which makes it an ideally suited location for wellness retreat as it is a remote location, away from city traffic and pollution.

Concept development
To create a series of interconnected, organically shaped spaces which, resemble caves—the primeval home of man. Emerging as a hidden shelter, intimate to body and soul – a place to thoughtfully contemplate.
Subtly rising as an expression of its surroundings, the design of the retreat is a return to a primal and timeless form of space, a place that encourages an intrinsic meditation space.

Design brief:
The design seeks to blend into the landscape in an unassuming way. The building forms part of the existing terrain and the mountains and wetlands that surround the site.
A circular cutaway reveals the building's entrance with a series of cell-like contiguous spaces that accommodate the retreat’s program, which includes spaces for therapy, a recreational area, co-living spaces, and a café along with administrative facilities.
Continuous column-free spaces allow a flexible program and an organic sense of continuity.

Landscape
Low lying mound’s structure spread horizontally across the site makes the center an integrated part of the landscape
An artificial topography is created in form of a stepped roof, for visitors to climb up and see the scenic view of the site all around.
Productive landscape in form of vegetative farms to incorporate sustainable food production.
Water retention pond inspired from ancient Indian stepwell to store rainwater for future use.

Interior
Taking inspiration from nature, the interior emphasizes minimalism and harmony between man-made elements and the natural world.
Curved lines, smooth surfaces, rounded shape, brings a sense of calmness and serenity to the space.

Material
Constructed from a slim concrete cast shell, the roof supports itself as each undulation dramatically falls to meet the ground.
The building’s glass skylights, each with a different orientation and size, provide natural lighting for the spaces.

Selected flora for landscape
White flowers in the landscape lend a cooling effect to the garden, especially on hot summer days. The color white is seen here as a bright, clean color that makes surrounding colors ‘pop’ visually. Also, white flowers seem to glow in the evening and early morning hours in the landscape.