Villa in the Woods / Studio Lotus

Located between Bhimtal and Mukteshwar in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, the Villa in the Woods is part of a master plan designed to promote conscious community living amidst 90 acres of Himayalan forests of deodar, sal, oak, and rhododendron. With direct access from India’s capital New Delhi, it lies in the Kumaon range of the Himalayas at an altitude of 6,700 feet. The brief for the masterplan development was centred around building a self-sufficient community in the hills, living in harmony with nature. The design scheme factors in detailed analyses of the existing terrain, slopes, vegetation, surface drainage patterns, and soil types. These studies were done to identify strategies for watershed management, stormwater management, and potential areas for development to minimize cut-and-fill and avoid disturbing the site’s ecology.