Retreat center in Horton Plains

SLIIT

Project idea

We were supposed to design a retreat center in Horton plains. A retreat center is a place for restorative that means people go away from home to unplug their workloads in a totally different environment. People require retreat center for meditation, rest, swim, and walk, social interaction with unknown people and for spiritual practices. For this purpose they seek for a calm place that is surrounded by nature.

Horton plains in the central highlands is a coldest place in Sri Lanka. It is well known for the national park and ecology that is consist of grass lands, marshy lands, montane evergreen forest and aquatic system. Variety of flora and fauna species can be found there. Herds of sambar deer which ads beauty to the plains are most commonly seen animal in Horton plains.

Project description

The concept for my building design is wilderness come into the space through freedom of movement. My concept is formed by studying the nature of the sambar deer and other flora and fauna species that can be found in Horton plains. The animals should not get distracted through the building design. The design has to invite the animals as it was before building come into that space. So when we think from the animal’s perspective they mostly see the mountainous structure and the natural trees everywhere in the Horton plains. So I would like to bring the same feeling in my design. I got inspired from the mountains and I have designed this building like mountains covered by native grasses that belongs to Horton plains. The animals should be able to walk along the roof.The people who visit here has to feel the unique environment and ecology from being inside the building itself. So that i have given the view for people from all sides. And I have oriented my building towards east and west to heat the building. Because the temperature in plains is around 15 degree C during day and that drops to 7 degree C at night.

Technical information

The material that I have chosen is prefabricated fiber reinforced polymer for the roof. Carrying the materials to Horton plains is very difficult because of its narrow and bend roads. So that I have choose this light weight material. And also onsite works has to be less because that will disturb the animals. This material is sustainable and suit the climate. Roof will be covered by native grasses. This soil layer and an additional insulation layer will be keep the interior warm all the times. So that I am going for prefabricated material. And for the floor there will be a small concrete layer and vinyl floor on top of that.
The technologies that I am going to use in this building are rain water harvesting system, partly solar panels, solar heating system and a wind turbine.
The immediate site has been destructed by man and now it is almost flat. I would like to change this nature by creating contours within the site to look same like Horton plains topography with up and down