3-Star Hotel "Banari Residency"
Project Location: Namchi, South Sikkim
Project Architect: Ar. Sonam Tashi
Status: Under-Construction
Client: Mr. DK Rai
Interior + Exterior / Banari Residency
Sitting on a 4m wide open road – one that connects the district headquarter of South Sikkim with other popular tourist sites – Barani Residency covers a total floor area of 28,500 sq ft. Starting the design process from scratch, the hotel was to be built on a gentle slope surrounded by the splendours of South Sikkim.
Situated in an urban sprawl, the hotel stands on the passageway to two major religious sites, Sidheshwar Dham and Sai Mandir. With a cross section at about 90 feet and an elevation difference of 20 feet on a downward slope, the hotel has been dissected into two portions: the guest accommodation on the road and upper level and the staff facilities below. A five-and-half storeyed structure, the hotel now has a 50-seater-bar-cum-restaurant, along with a rooftop café, a board room for 25 people and a takeaway counter for passing tourists. The space has been organised into 39 rooms, with a standard sized attached bathroom, placed in a way to receive a generous amount of natural light. There is one room designed specifically for guests with special needs: where accessibility and other practical needs are the focus of the layout.
The place has a power backup provided with a 200kva diesel-operated-generator and the hot water is supplied with a central diesel boiler. In case of an elevator malfunction, service stairs have added for emergency exit. There is a provision for more than 1, 00,000 litres of water storage in case of fire emergencies. Built with reinforced concrete cement frames structure with RCC floor slabs, the walls of the hotel is composed of red clay bricks, along with timber frame with powder coated aluminium window panes. The exteriors and interiors are finished with cement plaster. Steel has only been used in frames to support the roofing wherever necessary and in the main staircase railings. The parking floor is covered in heavy duty parking tiles, while ceramic tiles are used to cover most of the floors within the building. The modest use of granite can be seen in the main staircase floor.
There is a lot more possibilities with the structure: it has been designed to welcome more dimensions and features in the future. The locale is quiet and fresh and the hotel allows one to relish the beauty of South Sikkim in its purest form.
