The Sunyata Eco Hotel has been designed and constructed to demonstrate how architecture can be sustainable and eco-friendly on an optimal scale within urban environments. This commitment extends beyond material choice and construction methods to encompass the entire building process and the hotel’s daily operations after opening. As a boutique hotel, it aims to balance aesthetics, guest experience, comfort, and luxury — all while minimizing its carbon footprint through eco-conscious practices.
The hotel primarily utilizes local soil, incorporated through mud bricks, poured soil, rammed earth, and mud concrete. Room lighting, ventilation, and heat dissipation are carefully managed using brick hollow masonry combined with mutual shading techniques. The rooms feature load-bearing structures designed to avoid concrete columns, employing traditional building methods such as brick vaulting, flat vaulting, prefabricated hollow clay roofs, and infill panels to minimize concrete use.
The project’s layout draws inspiration from the traditional “thotti mane” and courtyard-style homes native to the Malnad region. The structural design integrates principles of bioclimatic science, featuring a series of stepped terraces that offer scenic views of nearby parks and distant hills. These terraces are designed to maximize rainwater collection during monsoons while allowing soft northern light into the rooms. Collected rainwater is channeled to a central courtyard and stored in a large underground tank with a capacity of up to 45,000 liters. Excess water is directed to open wells to replenish groundwater.
The rainwater collected in the courtyard is filtered, with surplus water flowing into a retention pool. To facilitate water collection, a 9-meter-deep well was dug in the courtyard using an open-pit design that does not harm the aquifer, allowing groundwater to naturally seep in from the sides. The Ecological Wastewater Treatment System (ECOSTP) treats wastewater without chemicals or energy consumption, mimicking natural purification processes. It uses a combination of microorganisms, plants, and gravel to cleanse wastewater, returning purified water to the earth and completing a sustainable cradle-to-cradle cycle.
Passive cooling is achieved by combining a solar chimney positioned along the south and west walls with an exhaust duct connected to a cold air shaft. This cold air shaft channels cool air into each room, promoting air convection and eliminating the need for air conditioning. Beneath the ground, three 75-meter-long high-density polyethylene pipes are installed 3.5 meters below the surface, connecting to air treatment units in the basement. Solar panels, installed in phases, supply electricity to the hotel. Even the brick-making equipment is powered by solar energy, avoiding reliance on the electrical grid.
The hotel’s interior design is intentionally simple, highlighting the natural textures of every material and element. Exposed bricks, earthen walls, concrete, and contrasting black stone flooring define the character of each space. Custom rattan furniture—including beds, sofas, chairs, and wardrobes—complements the aesthetic, alongside repurposed vintage rattan and wooden pieces. Local artisans such as stonemasons, wicker workers, potters, and off-season plantation workers have been trained and employed through the project. Today, Sunyata Eco Hotel stands as a boutique hotel capable of self-sufficient production and operation, while also serving as an eco-friendly experiential center.
Project Drawings
△ First Floor Plan
△ Underground Floor Plan
△ Second Floor Plan
△ Third Floor Plan
△ Roof Plan
△ Underground Air Duct Layout
△ Section Diagram
△ Section Diagram
Project Information
Architectural Design: Design Kacheri
Area: 10,000 ft²
Project Year: 2021
Photographer: Shamanth Patil
Suppliers: Kohler, Exide, Pasolite, Studer, Trimble Sketchup, ZWsoft
Lead Architects: Chaitra Saraf, Nidhish Kurup
Design Team: Alex Paul, Niyati Thakur, Kishor KS
Location: Chikmagalur, India
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