Nisarga Art Hub / Wallmakers

Architects: Wallmakers
Area: 238 m² (2,557 ft²)
Year: 2023
Photography: Syam Sreesylam
Lead Architects: Vinu Daniel, Oshin Mariam Varughese
Junior Architects: Subhrodipta Ghosh, Rosh V. Saji
City: Ernakulam, Kerala
Country: India

Nisarga Art Hub, a cultural residency designed by Wallmakers in Ernakulam, Kerala, facilitates public engagement through architecture that merges vernacular techniques with adaptive reuse, completed in 2023. The project reinterprets the traditional Kerala pitched roof by introducing skylights aligned with an amphitheater’s geometry, enabling dual use as lighting and audience seating. A swimming pool is repurposed as a modular stage for performances. The interior prioritizes open, floor-based communal living, guided by the client’s preference for Padmasana posture. Load-bearing walls use Wallmakers’ patented Shuttered Debris Wall technique with reclaimed construction waste and local soil, supporting a cantilevered recording studio. Scrap metal and reclaimed laterite blocks form shading devices and the entry verandah, applying passive cooling and regional references. Program, material, and thermal strategies define architecture as a performative framework for art and community.

Nisarga Art Hub was developed as a cultural and residential facility by a family of musicians seeking a space for artistic exchange and community gathering. Situated next to a paddy field in Ernakulam, the project engages with its rural context by drawing from the traditional architectural vocabulary of Kerala, particularly the steeply pitched roof. While these roofs historically offered strong thermal insulation, their low-light interiors have led to their decline in contemporary design.

Wallmakers responded by reconfiguring the roof with integrated skylights, allowing natural light to enter while retaining the original pitch. The 35° slope was intentionally aligned with a 30° amphitheater section, enabling the skylight openings to serve as tiered audience seating. A set of removable wooden planks placed over the swimming pool transforms it into a temporary stage that accommodates 75 to 80 people.

A separate entrance allows independent access to the lower level, maintaining privacy for ongoing activity above. This entry leads to a large communal living area that opens toward the fields. Interior spaces are left flexible and largely unfurnished, in line with the client’s preference to sit and dine directly on the wooden floor in the Padmasana (Lotus) posture.

The structure incorporates Wallmakers’ patented Shuttered Debris Wall technique, using a mix of construction waste from nearby towns and excavated site soil. These walls are load-bearing and support upper-level elements, including a cantilevered recording studio that extends four meters outward without additional supports.

On the west side of the building, guest rooms are protected by metal racks salvaged from a scrapyard. These act as grills and allow climbing plants to form a natural curtain that mitigates afternoon heat. Strategically placed roof openings bring in diffused daylight through rolls of jute sacks while promoting ventilation by allowing hot air to escape.

The entry verandah features reclaimed laterite blocks from demolished structures, referencing the open “Muttam” courtyards of traditional Kerala homes. These reused elements reinforce the building’s connection to place while supporting passive cooling strategies.

The architects compared the spatial arrangement of the Hub to a musical composition, stating that “the pauses between the notes are more important than the notes themselves.” This idea is reflected in the balance between built volume and open voids, creating a rhythm that supports both performance and quiet interaction within the landscape.