Set within a wellness centre in the wilderness of Rachakonda, the café takes its cues from the terrain and the stone language of Rachakonda Fort. We use local materials and traditional stone joinery, translated into a contemporary form, to keep visual continuity with the fort while responding to the site’s climate.

The fort’s spatial logic shaped our plan: layered thresholds, controlled openings, and a clear sense of entry. Like the fort’s gates, views are framed deliberately, turning the landscape into the main interior experience. A gently sloped roof keeps the building low and quiet against the rugged hills, so it sits with the terrain rather than standing over it.

On a triangular site, the form tightens to create a guided passage. That compression releases into a circular courtyard, which becomes the project’s pause point before it opens back out to the wilderness. The sequence echoes a walk through the fort: approach, threshold, reveal—designed as a slow discovery rather than a single gesture.