Idea Design wins the Indian Institute of Architects State Award for Excellence in Architecture for 2008 for their project ‘Heritage Methanam’ at Kumbalanghi.

Jury Report Excerpts: The Heritage Methanam, is a renovation and re-adaptation of a bungalow of colonial character into a small hotel. The intervention was very carefully handled removing certain unfitting elements like concrete porch and introducing tiled roofs and courts and new staircases substantially improving the quality of spaces and befitting detailing to existing elements. The introduction of traditional wooden partitions and rustic flooring were commendable. On the whole, the building renovation and adaptive reuse showed a maturity in intervention and conservation.

The award was presented in a IIA Kerala Chapter Function at Trivandrum in January 2009.

Read News

Read Feature

Watch Video

This is the oldest part of the Ernakulam Town. While the British took over Cochin from the Dutch, the market was the first facility to move out from Fort Cochin to Mainland Ernakulam. Later a similar trade-community establishment similar to that in Mattanchaeery came about around it. This area encomapasses heritage structures and planning features [...]

The Wild Orchid Estates sits on a naturally beautiful, gently sloping terrain of Yercaud. Flanged by coffee estates and forest lands, this property is lush green and blessed with plenty of large trees and variety of plants. Wild Orchid Estates is planned in 40 acres of land. This is planned as a community project with [...]

Adyar wetland reserve and the Poonga Ecopark is an environmentally significant project proposed in the city of Chennai. We have got the opportunity to work on this project as landscape and urban design consultants with Mr. Joss Brooks, renowned ecological restoration specialist of Auroville. A combined fresh-water / salt-water ecosystem is to be revived to [...]

Nilgiri Biosphere Conservation Park is a project by the Coimbatore Zoological Park Society. Originally conceived as a Zoological Park at the beginning of the park in 1992, the project, over the period has transformed into a biosphere conservation project.
The park located in Anaikatty at the foothills of the Western Ghats is planned to exhibit various [...]

This traditional house on the backwaters of Kumbalanghi had undergone an intense restoration process to get itself converted into a heritage hotel with 7 Keys and 20 Cover Poolside Restaurant. The traditional charm of the building was reinvented through a surgical effort for removing a later concrete addition to this structure. Located right at the [...]

Idea Design had worked on a conceptual presentation for Ecological Restoration of Lakes, primarily prepared for Lakes of Bangalore, but applicable for Lake Systems of the sub-continent in general.
The presentation looks at restoration from a regional planning level to restoration of edges and mosaic of ecological-patches and finally to the lake’s urban interface and landscape solutions. [...]

This resort is situated in one of the beautiful locations in chinnakkanal. The site planning and landscape is done with minimum disturbance to trees and indigenous plants have been selected to give it an eco friendly feel. We had a wonderful time in solving levels and pathways, which resulted as one of the best resort [...]

Michael Little has worked on this Campus master plan design for the 20 acre residential campus, Centre For Learning, Bangalore. The work included detailed design and construction of landscapes around Library, Sports Field, Dining Area and Hostels.
Planting design was done with an emphasis on native draught tolerant species. Strategic areas of campus have been designated [...]

Biley Menon & Chitra Biley worked together on conducting a research of the Vembanad Lake Region, in their early days of practice, inspired by the unique cultural and natural ecological values of the Ramsar Cite. The research culminated in defining an ecological life region, identifying the values of this cultural landscape which unify the region. [...]