MOTEL IN INDIA

Definition and purpose of construction

The topic of the assignment is the design of a new motel in India. The design respects the context of the site, the urban and topographic structure of the place. The motel has a capacity about 100 truck drivers on Indian Highways. The rest stop provide 3 different degrees of rest to its stakeholders: quick pitstops for relief and refreshing oneself, spaces to share and consume meals, spaces for sleep and longer rests, everything in a cost-effective way.

Urban design

The site for this project is located on National Highway 544, a 340-kilometre-long National Highway in South India connecting Salem in Tamil Nadu to the city of Kochi in Kerala. The chosen area is located in Kannadi-Kerala. Surrounding land is sporadically used for agriculture and there is a Renault service store and a few other smaller establishments in the area. The design respects the context of the site, the urban and topographic structure of the place. Motel is situated approximately in the center of site. Parking spots for trucks should be situated in back to see motel much more better from highway and attracts visitors. Therefore, a corridor connecting the back and front side is created here. In foreground part you can find parking. The original greenery is preserved and complemented by local species.

Architectural solution 

The motel is inspirated by house nalukettu, which is typical for the region, where is motel located. Because the people in this area knew best how to best deal with the climate. The heart of house is courtyard into which the surrounding rooms are directed. This house has a sloping roof due to the abundant monsoons. The building stone of the whole motel is a two-storey accommodation part, which consists of two blocks with atrium and sloping roofs. These blocks include guest rooms and amenities. These blocks are enclosed by solid walls and protected from noise and sun. The sun enters to the rooms through the atrium, through which it is also ventilated. Services part is situated near the road that can also serve non-accommodated guests (dining room, public toilets and shop), which are located in a single-storey block with a glass facade that attracts passers-by. 

Disposition solution

As I mentioned before, the building can be reached from both the front and back, because I suggest to situated parking spots for truck drivers behind the building. It creates a corridor connecting this two parts. From here you can get through the reception to two almost identical accommodation blocks. On each floor there is a toilet and a bathroom for men and women. On the 1st floor, there are 4 six-bed rooms on each block, with 3 bunk beds, a cleaning room, a laundry room, clean and dirty laundry warehouses, a laundry room and a prayer room. On the 2nd floor there are also 4 six-bed rooms supplemented by 2 four-bed rooms. The front part, which is also accessible to the public, is divided into 2 parts. Left half contains shop, public toilets and showers, because there are not enough showers on the road and in right half is cafeteria and accessories. 

Construction and material solutions

The construction consists of a mixed system, a combined brick and skeleton. The material is also combined, the perimeter walls are made of solid fired bricks and the columns and inner walls are made of colored concrete, because bricks and concrete are used in India. Due to low costs, bricks that were previously used on other constructions are reused. The bricks were rotated to form patterns on the facade. The roofs of the two-story building are sloping, and the one of one-story is flat. The staircase are made monolithic concrete.

Sustainability

The project seeks to make efficient use of natural resources in order to minimize costs and make construction more environmentally friendly. Therefore, second-hand bricks were used. Natural ventilation was designed for cooling. To prevent the building from overheating, the glazed parts are protected by cantilevered roofs during summer and in winter sun heat a house. During the monsoons, a lot of water fall and it is stored in an underground tank and use to flush toilets and in showers and to another thinks in dry periods.

Sleep

Sleep is very important in our lives. You need to sleep long and well. As architects, we can rather influence quality. Therefore, the block is closed from external phenomena. Beds are divided into smaller rooms. Drivers drive at night, so it is necessary to ensure darkness for sleep. This is ensured by the curtains themselves at the windows as well as other curtains at the bedside. Rooms are closed to protect drivers from insects.