Author:Muhammad Sadath
Site Location: Munnar
Institute: Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Dubai
Advisor: Prof. Gopika Balakrishnan Nair

Description

TeaEla Tales of Munnar is an immersive tea experience hub in the Nallathanni/Nullathanni Estate, Munnar, conceived as a journey through the landscape, culture, and people behind every cup of tea.

Munnar, whose identity is deeply rooted in its tea plantations, yet the experience of tea tourism often remains limited to viewing plantations, visiting factories, and tasting tea.

At the heart of the project is equitable participation. Rather than treating the local community as an attraction, TeaEla positions plantation workers and residents as active stakeholders. Workers can share their skills, conduct workshops and participate in cultural storytelling, while local makers gain opportunities through markets and craft sales. Visitors become participants rather than passive observers, creating an exchange of knowledge, culture and experience.

The architecture responds to Munnar’s terrain and climate through green roofs, passive ventilation, filtered daylight and rainwater harvesting, creating a sustainable relationship between built form, landscape and community.

TeaEla ultimately aims to create a shared ground where visitors, workers and residents benefit equally, strengthening Munnar’s identity while creating a more sustainable and community-centered model of tea tourism.

Drawings

Click here to go back to the storehouse.