A spaceship in the mangroves: A cyclone-defying guest house lands hope in the heart of the Sundarbans

Time of India

6 days ago

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In the cyclone-lashed wetlands of the Sundarbans, where homes are often no match for the tides, something extraordinary has landed — quite literally. It looks like it dropped from the sky.
A smooth, bamboo dome perched elegantly on stilts, its curved belly lifted above the floodline, its spiral staircase wrapped like a vine around fluted columns. Locals call it the "spaceship" — not in jest, but in awe. Designed by Kolkata-based architect duo Udit Mittal and Kirti Jalan, this isn't just a guest house. It's a radical rethinking of what rural, disaster-resilient architecture can be: bold, beautiful, and deeply rooted in local knowledge.
Commissioned by NGO Mukti for visiting donors, the Aaronyak Guest House is now a symbol — of safety, imagination, and quiet rebellion against climate catastrophe.
Four cyclones, zero cracks
Since it was completed in early 2023, the structure has faced the wrath of four cyclones — Sitrang, Mocha, Remal, and Dana — with winds up to 120 km/hr. It hasn't flinched. Not a wobble, not a leak. During Cyclone Remal, when rain lashed the Sundarbans for over four days, villagers stood watching, waiting for the thatched roof to give way.
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Undo
It didn't. Not a single drop entered. 'People didn't believe that a thatch roof could survive a cyclone,' says Udit.
'Now they want the same roof on their own homes.'
Why it looks like it flew in from space
'It wasn't supposed to look like a spaceship,' Udit laughs. 'But maybe it makes sense — something alien, but kind.' The design draws from the
do-chala
roof — the twin-pitched vernacular form found across Bengal. But it also borrows from boats. Udit worked with local boatmakers to shape the curves, their muscle memory guiding the bamboo into aerodynamic arcs.The dramatic spiral staircase? Improvised on site.
'It wasn't on paper,' Udit says. 'But like a creeper curling around a tree trunk, it made sense. It makes you slow down before entering.'
What's so special about this house? Plenty.
It looks familiar — sloping roof, mud walls, bamboo bones. But this isn't just a makeover of the
bangla ghar
. It's a storm-smart home that whispers tradition and mutters rebellion.
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A plinth with a purpose
: The house doesn't sit on the ground. It hovers two feet up on a concrete plinth, high enough to dodge floods but low enough to feel rooted.
·
Bamboo gets a smoke bath
: The structure uses bamboo cured in a smoke chamber — not just to toughen it against pests, but to echo a forgotten rural technique.
·
Breathable from all sides
: Slits near the floor and roofline let air in and pressure out — small vents that can make a big difference in a storm.
·
Lime, not cement
: The walls are lime-plastered, which keeps the house cool and lets it breathe, unlike cement which traps moisture and cracks.
·
Double verandahs, double life
: A social verandah in the front for chats and chai, and a quieter one at the back to overlook the fields — a nod to Sundarbans rhythms of living.
·
Roof tiles, reassembled
: Those sloping tiles aren't random. They're laid out with just the right gradient to take the wind but not fly off with it.
Inside, it's still sparse with just one family living there, testing its strength through storms and heat.
But what they're living in is not just a house. It's a prototype for the future of rural resilience — priced at ₹2–3 lakhs, built with local hands, and backed by a quiet architectural revolution.
Architecture that breathes and floats
The spaceship is not just romantic — it's rigorously engineered:
·Withstands winds up to 180 km/hr
·Raised above flood level on RCC pyramids
·Walls made of staggered bamboo with acoustic cavities
·Thatch panels woven on the ground, then lifted into place
·A GI tendon runs through its spine — giving it flex and fight
·An extended ledge visually expands the space by 50%
·Underneath? An open-air community stage, shaded and cool
It doesn't hide its structure — it celebrates it.
From the exposed pyramid plinths (meant to evoke mangrove roots) to the ambient lighting that glows through rice-straw thatch, every detail is both functional and poetic.
From theatre to thatch: Meet the duo behind the dome
Udit Mittal isn't your average architect. He's a trained theatre director, an artist, a cyclist — someone who treats buildings like stories, not products. He lived in Purba Sridharpur during the post-Amphan recovery, bathing in the river, playing football with local kids, and joining
Durga Puja
processions. His partner in work and life,
Kirti Jalan
, is a lighting and interiors specialist who ensures the inside of each project feels as intentional as the outside.
Together, they founded Architecture firm in 2019 — with a focus on contextual, low-tech, high-impact design.
Next: A dinosaur made of bamboo
The duo is now dreaming bigger: a four-room structure built entirely of bamboo — roof, walls, even floor — set around a water channel. One worker, Sandeep, described the in-progress frame best: 'Bhalo kore dekh, mone hochhe na ekta bishal dinosaur-er konkaal?' (Look carefully — doesn't it feel like the skeleton of a giant dinosaur?)
'Since the guest house opened, over 50 homes in nearby villages have begun using elements of the design: bamboo bones, mud walls, tile roofs, and most importantly, raised plinths. Mukti is now setting up skills training centres and material banks, so villagers can build their own cyclone-resilient homes without relying on expensive imports.'-
Kirti Jalan
'In the Sundarbans, resilience doesn't mean building stronger—it means building smarter, lighter, and with care. This house is not a shelter from the storm; it's a conversation with it.'
— Udit Israni