Hospitality and Leisure Architectural Projects
A selection of our hospitality and leisure projects, ranging from lakeside resorts to urban community hubs. We design spaces that balance aesthetic form with human-centric living.
The Club Mahindra Tungi Resort, a lakeside retreat designed to be shaped by its landscape. The structure sits quietly overlooking Pawna Lake, with angled roofs and expansive windows that draw the scenery inward, creating a seamless connection between the built form and the natural terrain.
A preview of our upcoming Birwa Forest Resort. This machan-style cottage, crafted from Canadian wood, is elevated 16 feet above the ground. The design offers a private escape among the treetops, complete with its own plunge pool, embodying a unique form of sustainable luxury architecture.
The Sona Vistaas Clubhouse in Bangalore, where a bold, terracotta-red spiral staircase serves as the social and architectural heart of the space. The open, multi-level design encourages interaction, with the swimming pool reflecting the structure and creating a dynamic interplay of light and form.
A view through a scalloped archway into the central courtyard of the Rambagh Palace Hotel. In converting this historic palace, my focus was to preserve its regal charm, ensuring that every new element honored the original architecture while providing the amenities of a five-star hotel.
A before-and-after view of the Otters Club in Bandra, Mumbai. This transformation showcases my approach to adaptive reuse, where I revitalized the existing structure to create a modern, functional, and aesthetically compelling leisure facility that better serves its community.
The spa complex at the Club Mahindra Lake Pawana Resort. Here, a still, expansive body of water acts as the central element, reflecting the clean lines of the surrounding colonnade and exuding a profound sense of serenity and calm, essential for a space dedicated to wellness.
A detailed view of the sculptural staircase at the Sona Vistaas Clubhouse. The choice of terracotta red and warm wood for the steps complements the earthy palette of the architecture, turning a functional element into a central piece of art that guides movement and defines the space.
About this collection
We approach every hospitality project by letting the site dictate the form. Whether it is revitalizing an existing structure like the Otters Club or masterplanning a new resort from scratch, our priority is to work with the natural topography rather than against it. We analyze sun paths and wind patterns to ensure the built environment feels like a natural extension of the landscape, not an imposition.
For us, hospitality architecture is about managing the 'spatial choreography' of a guest's stay. We focus heavily on the transition spaces—verandahs, courtyards, and circulation paths—that connect people to their surroundings.
Our process, which we call 'Scrum' planning, involves 2-3 day intensive workshops with clients to freeze the design brief early. This helps us avoid the common pitfall of continuous design changes during construction. For instance, in our project near Kanha, we opted for elevated treetop cottages to minimize ground disturbance, effectively blending luxury with ecological responsibility.
We also specialize in adaptive reuse. Taking a structure that no longer serves its original purpose and redesigning it for modern leisure—as we did with the Otters Club in Bandra—requires a delicate balance. We preserve the historical identity of the site while updating the infrastructure to meet today's rigorous usage standards. Whether it is an urban clubhouse in Bangalore or a palace conversion, our goal remains the same: creating environments that foster social energy and provide genuine respite.
IMK Architects
We are IMK Architects, an architecture firm rooted in a 65-year legacy of learning and experimentation. We do not just build walls; we design environments that bring people together, creating spaces that feel alive and responsive to their environment.
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