Set on a steep, valley-facing mountain slope in Kunjapuri, Narendra Nagar, this boutique wellness retreat was conceived around an unusually restrictive development envelope: a 1,590 sqm site with only 250 sqm of permissible construction. The challenge was to accommodate a complete wellness retreat programme within this limited footprint while preserving the valley views, guest experience and architectural presence of the retreat.
Rather than treating the terrain and regulatory constraints as limitations, the design uses them to shape the architecture — anchoring the building on carefully resolved retaining wall pedestals and negotiating the restricted site frontage through a fabricated approach way. The vertical composition works with the mountain rather than against it, opening towards the valley by day while a layered lighting strategy brings out its structure and materiality after dark.