A Tranquil Escape

Located on an island within Vembanad Lake in Kochi, the resort is conceived as an extension of the famous backwaters of Kerala.

This lake-front resort has been designed by URBNarc to have minimal impact on its environment and blend seamlessly into its setting once complete. Existing water channels have been retained and new ones added to create a network of waterways connecting the villas and creating a unique environment. The resort consists of 106 villas of varying sizes and configurations with some villas being on water and others designed to be suspended between trees.

The design inspiration for Adira Resorts originates from the existing landscape environment unique to this part of Kerala. Located on an island in Lake Vembanad (one of the largest freshwater lakes in India), the resort is planned around the central theme of the backwaters and its unique local landscape - a lush, verdant, tropical landscape synonymous with the backwaters of Kerala.

The island was originally reclaimed using a system of dikes and levees to facilitate rice cultivation. However over a period of time when rice farming became unsustainable, the island was converted into a coconut plantation. The entire island is now a system of land strips alternating with water channels, overgrown with wild grasses and a canopy of swaying coconut palms creating a unique landscape environment.

This environment inspired us to look for clues that could retain this character while developing a bespoke resort on this property. An initial sketch done on site by the team led us to Roberto Burle Marx, a Brazilian landscape designer (besides being a painter, ecologist and naturalist) whose designs of parks and gardens made him world famous. One of his paintings formed the key inspiration for the master plan as well.