150 year old home is converted into a restaurant as an adaptive reuse project

The KoCo restaurant is an adaptive reuse project which has given a new identity to a 150 year old house in Kottayam, India. Converting the dilapidated building into a restaurant was meticulously planned by Stapati Architects to ensure there were minimal changes to the existing building. This meant that the original character of the building was retained plus it helped to reduce building waste from the project.

Flooding the interior with natural light was an important consideration in the design and a small section of the original roof and wall were removed to create a small courtyard, used as a light well and to create a lush green outlook for diners.

A second, larger courtyard provides outdoor seating under a canopy of trees, which provides an additional connection to the outdoors and helps to make the space feel more expansive.

A suspended lighting bulkhead is used to delineate the community dining table which has indoor plants trailing down and in time will create a gorgeous waterfall of cascading plants. The extensive use of greenery in this project will help to soften the industrial and rawness of the materials palette plus the plants will filter the air.

The original brick walls have been retained and kept in their original condition and rustic sheet metal has been repurposed to line the ceiling and walls. New additions of concrete flooring, timber topped tables and metal furniture are equally as robust and continue on with the hard edged aesthetic.

Sustainability specs:
– Sustainability specs:
– Adaptive reuse project
– Extensive reuse of existing materials, including original brickwork, sheet metal
– Durable and low maintenance materials

The project coverts the site’s ancestral house through adaptive reuse into a quirky restaurant that resonates with the local population of the neighborhood and breathing new life into the bustling street.