The architecture
Built from a single curve.
Every roof at Shwaas is one sweep of thin-shell concrete. Architect Utsav Mathur (IAAC, Barcelona) designed the four villas and the Dome with his patented thin-shell technique, on an ancient riverine island near Srirangapatna.
Thin-shell concrete.
In a thin shell, the curve does the structural work, so the concrete can stay thin and a roof can span a room in one sweep. Every roof at Shwaas is built this way, with Utsav Mathur's patented technique.
The shells rise out of the lawn like something grown. They sit across 40,000 sq ft among more than two hundred coconut and teak trees, and curved skylights open the shells to the palms.
The Dome, where it began.
The Dome came first: Utsav built it when he was twenty. Its surface bends three ways at once, with positive, negative and zero Gaussian curvature. Put simply, parts of it curve like a dome, parts like a saddle and parts like a cylinder, all in one continuous surface.
Speak inside it and the Dome answers back. Today it holds the clubhouse: a 2,000 sq ft dining hall and reading library with an island kitchen.
Living inside the arch.
Four villas, each 1,400 sq ft, are shaped by the same curve. Floor-to-ceiling glass frames swaying palms by day and lets the moonlight in at night.
- Ensuite bathrooms of 225 sq ft, open to the sky
- Air-conditioning, Wi-Fi and a workstation
- Dressing area, wardrobe, kettle and an extra mattress
After dark, the shells glow.
At sunset the sky over Karighatta turns violet and the shells light up from within. The coconut palms along the horizon go black against it. Away from the city lights, the sky stays clear enough to see the stars.
Shwaas was designed by Utsav and is run by his family, Pinky and Piyush Mathur. Book the whole property and every shell is yours.
Sleep inside a shell.
The whole of Shwaas sleeps up to 16 guests across four villas, with the private pool, the lawn and the Dome.