Red Earth, Tadoba

Located along the periphery of the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra, ‘Red Earth Tadoba’ by Inspiration & Vistaar Associates is a 24-key eco-resort engulfed within a 15-acre forest reserve. 

This authentic and holistically sustainable retreat has a site positive approach and ensures conservation of the resources associated with the resort. With equal importance to land, energy and water conservation, Red Earth Tadoba also promotes inclusion and diversity by training and engaging local communities from the Gond tribe, one of the largest ethnic tribal communities of India, as resort staff members. 

The sloping terrain it stands on facilitates easy rainwater harvesting and ensures recharging of the ground water table by capturing all surface run-off.  6 open wells with numerous catchment areas further aid this natural replenishment process. With its in house purification plant, this reduces dependence on bottled water and allows to minimize the amount of resources that are transported or wasted. The resort also houses two Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems (DEWATS) which treat and recycle waste water organically. The recycled water is used for irrigating the garden. 

Each cottage comes with its own lap pool and overlooks the surrounding landscapes. All built form has been planned around the existing vegetation on site. The grass thatched roofs, experiments with mud plastered walls and the interplay of color through natural stone have been emulated from the local Gondi architecture.

All furniture and housing material has been sourced locally with a clear mandate to steer clear of energy intensive materials like steel, glass, aluminum etc and plastics. By virtue of its proximity to the Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station, the by-product fly-ash is normally a nuisance; the resort’s response to this - fly ash bricks were incorporated into the architecture of the resort. All the doors in the resort have been sourced locally and are more than 75 years old.  Bamboo and grass roofs help create comfortable semi open spaces for dining, lounging and even for the spa. Solar power is used for heating water and guests are encouraged to move around on cycles rather than fuel powered vehicles.

PROJECT DATA

Scope: Total Design Consultancy

Location: Tadoba, Maharshtra

Timeline: 2014-2016

Size: 36000 sq.ft

Client: Red Earth Hospitality Group

Collaborators: Sumanam Consultants; KONBAC; Stuba Engineering Consultancy