Architecture

Hathigaon elephant village reclaims land devastated by sand quarrying

Hathigaon elephant village reclaims land devastated by sand quarrying
The Hathigaon elephants can visually connect with their caretakers (Photo: Carlos Chen)
The Hathigaon elephants can visually connect with their caretakers (Photo: Carlos Chen)
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The Hathigaon elephants can visually connect with their caretakers (Photo: Carlos Chen)
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The Hathigaon elephants can visually connect with their caretakers (Photo: Carlos Chen)
RMA Architects was required to completely re-landscape the area (Photo: Robert Stephens, RMA Architects)
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RMA Architects was required to completely re-landscape the area (Photo: Robert Stephens, RMA Architects)
A tree plantation program was undertaken (Photo: Robert Stephens)
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A tree plantation program was undertaken (Photo: Robert Stephens)
RMA Architects was required to completely re-landscape the area (Photo: Rajesh Vora)
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RMA Architects was required to completely re-landscape the area (Photo: Rajesh Vora)
The most prominent feature of the project is a large man-made pool which enables bonding between the elephants and their handlers (Photo: Rajesh Vora)
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The most prominent feature of the project is a large man-made pool which enables bonding between the elephants and their handlers (Photo: Rajesh Vora)
Regular bathing is essential for the elephants to maintain good health (Photo: Rajesh Vora)
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Regular bathing is essential for the elephants to maintain good health (Photo: Rajesh Vora)
The general lack of space was mitigated by creating courtyards and pavilions to foster a sense of community (Photo: Rajesh Vora)
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The general lack of space was mitigated by creating courtyards and pavilions to foster a sense of community (Photo: Rajesh Vora)
The elephants can visually connect with their caretakers (Photo: Carlos Chen)
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The elephants can visually connect with their caretakers (Photo: Carlos Chen)
RMA Architects employed local craftsmen (Photo: Charles Garcia)
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RMA Architects employed local craftsmen (Photo: Charles Garcia)
Architectural drawing (Image: RMA Architects)
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Architectural drawing (Image: RMA Architects)
The elephants can visually connect with their caretakers (Photo: Rajesh Vora)
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The elephants can visually connect with their caretakers (Photo: Rajesh Vora)
Architectural drawing (Image: RMA Architects)
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Architectural drawing (Image: RMA Architects)
Image highlighting local climate conditions (Image: RMA Architects)
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Image highlighting local climate conditions (Image: RMA Architects)
Overview of the site (Image: RMA Architects)
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Overview of the site (Image: RMA Architects)
Image highlighting local rainfall (Image: RMA Architects)
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Image highlighting local rainfall (Image: RMA Architects)
Image highlighting local topography (Image: RMA Architects)
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Image highlighting local topography (Image: RMA Architects)
View gallery - 16 images

Hathigaon (or elephant village) is an ongoing low-income housing project by RMA Architects designed to provide a suitable habitat for 100 working elephants and their keepers. The project is located on the foothills of the popular tourist destination of Amber Palace, near Jaipur, India, and sees land once devastated by sand quarrying once again reclaimed for use.

As the Hathigaon project is built upon an 88-acre (35-hectare) area of environmentally damaged land, RMA Architects was first required to re-landscape the area before any actual construction took place. Over the last few years, the wasteland has been slowly transformed with a series of water pools and an extensive tree plantation program.

Owing to budget constraints and the local conditions, there was no call for high-end technology in the homes of the elephants' caretakers. However, that didn't stop RMA Architects from innovating where possible. Local stone was sourced to create well-insulated walls, and the roofs were constructed from corrugated metal sheeting, allowing elephant feed to be stacked on top. This both saves space and offers insulation simultaneously. A series of water channels are also present to harvest the precious rainfall that the desert climate experiences in monsoon season.

A tree plantation program was undertaken (Photo: Robert Stephens)
A tree plantation program was undertaken (Photo: Robert Stephens)

The caretakers' homes each measure only 40 sq m (430 sq ft), but this lack of space is mitigated by shared spaces, such as courtyards and pavilions. The interiors of the homes were purposefully left very sparse in order to allow the caretakers and their families to put their own stamp on them.

Though the elephants are physically separated from the human living quarters for the sake of safety, the housing project is laid out in such a way that the animals can still visually connect with their human companions, helping to foster the all-important bond between keeper and elephant.

Regular bathing is essential for the elephants to maintain good health (Photo: Rajesh Vora)
Regular bathing is essential for the elephants to maintain good health (Photo: Rajesh Vora)

The most prominent feature of the project is a large man-made pool which encourages bonding between the elephants and their handlers, while also allowing the animals to undergo their regular and essential bathing routine.

The Hathigaon project is still ongoing and was recently awarded an international gold medal prize for sustainable architecture by the University of Ferrara, Italy.

Source: RMA Architects via ArchDaily

View gallery - 16 images
2 comments
2 comments
christopher
devastated / environmentally damaged / wasteland ... someone turned the spindoctor-dial way too far up. Dudes - they grew some grass on a spot folks took some sand from in the past - none of that verbal hogwash is needed.
Roy Murray
@Christopher: When the surface along with its vegetation is indiscriminately scraped from a desert, it is a scene of devastation. A huge amount of work went into designing and building a habitat as well as reservoirs that could handle a year's supply of water. Dude, try Googling the project - it's not just a matter of throwing grass seed onto a sand dune.