Hathigaon (Housing for Elephants and their Mahouts)

Amber, Rajasthan, India
Photo © RMA Architects
Photo © RMA Architects
Drawing © RMA Architects
Photo © Carlos Chen
Photo © Robert Stephens
Photo © Carlos Chen
Photo © Robert Stephens
Photo © Robert Stephens
Photo © RMA Architects
Architekci
RMA Architects
Year
2011

A housing project for a 100 elephants and their Mahouts (elephant care-takers), Hathigaon (elephant village) is situated at the foothill of the Amber Palace and Fort near Jaipur. The design first involves structuring the landscape to create a series of water bodies to harvest the rain runoff, as this is the most crucial resource in the desert climate of Rajasthan. With the water resources in place, an extensive tree plantation and seeding program was carried on the site to propagate and stabilize local species.

The housing units are organized in clusters and situated on portions of the site that are not used for the landscape regeneration. Courtyards and pavilions supplement the otherwise small spaces that are allocated in the budget for this essentially low-income housing project.

Related Projects

  • Perrondach Bahnhof Filisur
    Walter Bieler AG
  • Dreifachturnhalle Gipf Oberfrick
    Walter Bieler AG
  • Shanghai Suhe MixC World
    KOKAISTUDIOS
  • Welcome to the Stage!
    Kjellander Sjöberg
  • Hovering Kan-Too – Great Bay Area Center Showroom
    Wutopia Lab

Magazine

Other Projects by RMA Architects

HP Campus
Bangaluru, India
Restoration of the Chowmahalla Palace Complex
Hyderabad, India
Visitors’ Centre at CSMVS (formally Prince Of Wales Museum)
Mumbai, India
House in a Tea Garden
Conoor, India
KMC Corporate Office
Hyderabad, India