Morphogenesis completes All Day Dining Restaurant at The Soaltee Kathmandu, Kathmandu
The project brief called for the refurbishment and interiors of a 40-year-old heritage hotel located in Kathmandu, Nepal. Given the traditional character of the building, the restoration had to ensure that the rich heritage quality does not dissipate in the process. The architectural intent behind the refurbishment of the hotel rests on the fusion of the traditional and the contemporary; to amalgamate the existing characteristics of the building with modern elements and reinstate the hotel character.
Nepal is infused with a rich, ancient, refined culture that has embraced diversity and has enabled a unification of artistic and architectural traditions of the old and the new. The design approach for the hotel adheres to a similar thought; the intent mandates a face-lift to the place, but at the same time, construes the native Nepalese motifs and elements of tradition. The intent has also been to unify the many segregated fragments of the hotel, each of which has been designed over the last few decades in a piece-meal manner.
The first stage of the project has been the completion of the All day Dining Restaurant at the Hotel. On entering the hotel, the reception and Port Cochere have been envisaged as illustrative of the physical landscape of Kathmandu, amidst the valley of the Himalayan mountain range. Different textures of colours and stones from these mountains have been incorporated to craft a vibrant setting that blends together with the proximate physical environment of the hotel. It is defined by a traditional tankha painting as a backdrop with a sculpted stone table that creates a contrast with the polished stone floor, further accentuating the grand communal area.
The ceiling, in some areas, has been conceptualized with cylindrical mesh lights with altering heights that create a rhythmic pattern with decorative customized light suspensions in copper/brass. The intent has been such, that the ceiling gets reflected in the flooring pattern through the copper inlays. The nativity of Nepal has also been maintained with a creative inception of pottery on the ceiling and on panels in common areas. Inverted pots hung from the ceiling highlight the influence of pottery in Nepal and at the same time offers an artistic infusion of contemporary design in a traditional manner. In a similar fashion, sliced pots have been placed on panels and walls to create an ambience that is visually strong with folklore.
All materials used are natural and the details that have been used are specific to the location of the project such as Metal and Wooden Jaalis, Sculptures, Thanka Paintings, and Rice Paper etc. The nature of the project that called for perpetuation of the authenticity of the local area also entailed the planning and implementation of the concept of green interiors.
