Less is more, more is nature

By Editorial Staff - 14 April 2023

The magical atmosphere of forests that surrounds the city of Sakleshpur, in southern India, envelops the DevaDhare Dining Space restaurant. In this place rich with emotions and deeply rooted in the territory to which it belongs, it is possible to dine immersed in greenery. The project’s client passed a large part of his childhood playing in this natural habitat and wanted to share this place that holds some of his fondest memories most importantly with family and friends. The DevaDhare restaurant, designed by the Indian firm Play Architecture, is part of a larger hospitality structure.
The 4-ha resort includes various cottages, other spaces and outdoor areas.

DevaDhare Dining Space | © Bharath Ramamrutham, GRAF Media courtesy Play Architecture Il ristorante è collocato su una piattaforma in granito sostenuta da pali in acciaio, già presenti in loco poiché installati nella prima fase di realizzazione del resort, e quindi riutilizzati in un’ottica di ottimizzazione delle risorse.

The heart of the project is the restaurant hall, which has a rectangular shape with a north-south orientation and is complemented by two external terraces positioned on the long sides. The larger terrace, facing west, juts out toward a lake, while the other looks toward a small waterfall. Located on steep terrain, the building was conceived as a pile dwelling building – it consists of a granite platform, supported by steel pillars, and is topped by a vaulted masonry roof. This roof, spanning 16.5-m, is composed of five layers of clay bricks and rests on roller-compacted concrete (RCC) placed at the four corners. Thanks to this design solution, realized in collaboration with local builders, the hall boasts an open floorplan free of columns or loadbearing walls, which thus can be furnished and lived with maximum flexibility. The curvilinear geometry of the roof creates four arched openings that are completely transparent. Between the metal poles upon which the restaurant stands, a zen garden with a small pond has been set up. The dining hall, accessible via a stone staircase, is also equipped with a ramp. Service spaces, such as restrooms and the kitchen, are located in two separate volumes and complete the design.

DevaDhare Dining Space | © Bharath Ramamrutham, GRAF Media courtesy Play Architecture La volta in mattoni faccia a vista rappresenta un omaggio alla tradizione costruttiva locale. Con il suo carattere rustico e minimale, si inserisce in maniera armonica nel paesaggio boschivo.

The interior design is based on a minimalist concept that eschews any type of decoration. The designers followed the philosophy of less is more, in order to allow the guests to remain in contact with the natural landscape even after they have entered into the structure. Since the bricks of the roof have been left exposed both on the extrados and intrados of the vault, the lightness of the glazing elevates the raw materiality. Endless shades of green, seemingly stolen from the forest, invade the environment and enhance the dark red hue through a play of complementary colors. The furnishings stick to the bare essentials: a bar countertop with a clean and linear design and a few tables with essential finishings. The floor features some glass modules that display the garden and stream below. The forest, with its shapes and colors molded by nature, remains the undisputed protagonist of the project.

DevaDhare Dining Space | © Bharath Ramamrutham, GRAF Media courtesy Play Architecture | The restaurant is located on a granite platform supported by steel poles, which were already on site since they were installed in the first phase of the construction of the resort, and then were reused in order to optimize resources.

DevaDhare Dining Space | © Bharath Ramamrutham, GRAF Media courtesy Play Architecture | The centerpiece of the project is the large dining hall, covered by a vaulted roof and surrounded by glass façades which separate it from the outdoor terraces while allowing the shapes and colors of nature to enter the interior of the structure.

DevaDhare Dining Space | © Bharath Ramamrutham, GRAF Media courtesy Play Architecture | The exposed brick vaulting is a tribute to the local building tradition. With its rustic and minimalist character, it fits harmoniously into the forested landscape.

DevaDhare Dining Space | © Bharath Ramamrutham, GRAF Media courtesy Play Architecture

DevaDhare Dining Space | © Pathrik AK courtesy Play Architecture | Having spent much of his childhood in this place, the client conceived the project with the idea of dining in peace while having fun in company.

Location: Sakleshpur, Karnataka, India
Client: Sentinel Adventures
Completion: 2022
Gross Floor Area: 240 m²
Architect and Interior Designer: Play Architecture
Landscape Consultants: Nivedita Manjunath, Satish Babu
Main Contractor: ASB & Co.

All photos courtesy of Play Architecture

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