The resounding desire to reconnect with the serenity of open spaces exists in every single one of us. And some abodes capture this solace, becoming harmonious extensions of the outdoors and seamlessly connecting the context with the interiors. In these 6 sanctuaries curated from the archives of AD India, homes open up to the lush world beyond their walls, blurring boundaries and inviting the ever-changing beauty of nature inside.
Alibaug: Villa Uma Is A Study In Grand Yet Slow, Sustainable Living
The swimming pool is Villa Uma‘s richest subject: a 65-foot-long dark granite black forest gateau of a pool. Shadowy and decadent, it beckons the villa’s guests with an almost wolfish eagerness. The enigmatic pull of the pool, surrounded by wild grasses and hemmed in by black-and-white stripped vintage deckchairs, is such that in one sensational minute clothes are off and everyone relents. The whole outdoor scene is a whistling, rustling Slim Aarons double-spread dream, swaddled in a muslin Kerala towel.
A dream of Mansi and Akshat Poddar, a pair of entrepreneurial siblings from Mumbai, the pool was brought to life by architect Samuel Barclay, cofounder of Mumbai-based AD100 firm Case Design. Villa Uma was designed around four mango trees that existed on this one-acre plot long before the Poddars purchased it 15 years ago. “Our influences for Villa Uma range across modern and contemporary architects and designers but we are certainly interested in the local vernacular as well,” says Barclay. The fruit of Barclay and his team’s labour is a quietly luxurious, minimally designed home, built with black basalt and coloured plaster. It is smooth, sustainable, wildly landscaped, and shy to reveal its best details. – Kanika Parab
_______________________________________________________________________
Read Also : Farming 3.0: How AI, IoT and Mobile Apps Are driving the AgriTech Revolution
________________________________________________________________________
Styled by Nazneen Jehangir
Kerala: This Bungalow Crafts A Dialogue With Nature, Light And Air
Located on an old property flanked by bungalows owned by the extended family, this Kerala home on the outskirts of Thrissur was just 150 metres away from a noisy traffic junction. Adarsh Rajendran, Shabin S Shajahan and Gokul GS of Monsoon Projects turned to the state’s traditional Nalukettu style of construction—which typically features a courtyard in the centre—to address issues of light, ventilation, passive cooling and even to provide verdant views and create a world within itself. “The inner courtyards have been designed as natural landscapes within walls. This creates an envelope that keeps the house estranged from surrounding plots and provides the desired privacy,” says Shabin.
“Owing to the client’s lifestyle and customs, a home with a very open plan would not have worked,” explains Adarsh. There were also restrictions on the kind of artwork that could be used. Consequently, it was clear to the trio that their architecture would have to make all the statements in this Kerala home. To this end, they have employed natural light through multiple sources to create slowly moving shadows which substitute for art. “It’s actually easier to transform a space with art, than to create architecture which does not need any prop,” says Shabin. The circular skylight above the staircase bathes the stairwell in a natural glow. In addition to the indoor courtyard, the foyer topped with a trellis completes the sources of overhead light. Two of the bedrooms overlook the courtyard while the other two enjoy a view of the koi pond. – Devyani Jayakar
_______________________________________________________________________
Read Also : Dark regions of the genome may drive the evolution of new species
________________________________________________________________________
Ankleshwar: A Multi-Generational Courtyard Home Designed Inside Out
For the Bhadani family, a build of their own had always been on the cards. The challenge was, finding the right architect. Their fate changed one summer when an evening stroll around a neighbourhood in Gujarat led them to a residential construction site. “It was for an upcoming bungalow in the area,” says Tarun Patel, founder and principal of MISA Architects, and the architect behind that bungalow. One thing led to another and the Bhadanis soon approached Patel with a simple brief: to design a home that would be open enough to welcome guests yet private enough to sequester the family from the busy street beyond. It was a dual challenge that Patel readily took on.
What he also did was turn the blueprint inside out, orienting the 7,500-square-foot home inwards and introducing a central courtyard to keep the sunshine close. In doing so, he made sure everything was vastu-compliant—a big priority for the Bhadanis—by arranging the courtyard home’s service quarters in a matrix of built and unbuilt spaces. The home’s double-height volume—contained by 18-inch-thick brick cavity walls—is a masterstroke in form and function. The south-facing walls are effective in shielding the interior from heat and noise, while still establishing a visual connection to the outdoors. – Vaishnavi Nayel Talawadekar
Chhattisgarh: Two Homes And A Dual Narrative Unravels Around This Courtyard
This is not just a story about architecture and design. It is a tale of two brothers with a sprinkle of Indian tradition. Courts, courtyards and verandahs have been staples of Indian architecture, but with this Chhattisgarh villa, Varun Goyal, principal architect at Atelier Varun Goyal, attempts a fresh take on open spaces. Two brothers hailing from a close-knit joint family in Bhilai, Chhattisgarh fell into a conundrum—they yearned for the privacy and independence afforded by individual houses but the familial warmth of a shared home. Varun’s introduction of a central courtyard effectively ties two distinct homes together, unravelling this puzzle. “Their (the homeowners’) narrative was one of togetherness and connection, where two distinct households coexist harmoniously around a central courtyard,” Varun divulges about the aptly christened ‘Courtyard House’.
The central courtyard binds the two dwellings, each designed as a series of living pavilions to accommodate individual requirements. The courtyard not only serves to encourage seamless engagement between the households of the two brothers, but aids ventilation while bathing the volumes in natural light. Tradition also abounds in contemporary spirit. In the central courtyard, a designed waterbody brings to life the architecture of stepwells. During summers, the family adds water and petals to this levelled void, crafting a cooling atmosphere of serenity. During the winters, the same space transforms into a home for a bonfire around which the family gathers. – Alisha Lad
_______________________________________________________________________
Read Also : A Soil-Science Revolution Upends Plans to Fight Climate Change
________________________________________________________________________
.png "6 Indian homes that embrace the beauty of nature with open spaces 11")
Ahmedabad: This Villa Promotes Living In The Lap Of Nature With Its Layout
Sited in the outskirts of the city, the aptly christened At Nature’s Edge is a relaxed, indulgent Ahmedabad villa that serves as a primary home. “The client’s vision was to create a peaceful abode in nature’s lap, away from chaos of the city,” elucidates Dhaval Patel, founder of Ahmedabad-based practice DPA Design Studio, which was entrusted with implementing this thought. Thus, the design intent became to transform a site largely bereft of vegetation into a built-form interspersed with lush pockets of vegetation so that the spatial experience would be an amalgamation of the inside and the outside.
Spread across 495 square meters, the narrative leverages the studio’s expertise in designing hospitality spaces, and hence has a spread-out plan that recalls to mind a luxurious resort. The formal living room block, which forms one arm of the ‘L’, seems to hover on a lily pond while remaining areas lie parallel to a swimming pool with a cascade at one end. This way, all rooms of this Ahmedabad villa lie at the intersection of internal comfort and external scenic vistas. The enclosed spaces are attended by tiny verdant courts so that the lines between inside and outside are further blurred. The spatial orchestration maintains a perambulatory approach, defining a thoughtful journey of experiences, “for instance, walking from an open space to a semi-open space to further to an enclosed one,” says Patel. – Rupali Sebastian
Delhi: Illustrious Art And Nature Co-Exist In This Guest House
Designed by architects Seema Puri Mullan and Zarir Mullan, this three-storey Delhi guest house stands adjacent to the client’s own residence, and enjoys verdant views from almost every room. Entertainment was a focal point of the client’s brief, and in addition to the outdoor deck, family lounge, and interconnected living areas, the house features a dedicated entertainment space in the basement. “We tried to ensure that everything opens out onto the greenery outside,” says Zarir.
Extending from the living room is a semi-outdoor deck, cocooned within a wooden grid pergola. “The rafters offer the space a sense of privacy, while ensuring abundant greenery,” explains Zarir. Green walls on both sides of the deck, landscaped like vertical gardens, envelope the space. The deck is furnished with lightweight outdoor furniture from Ethimo, complemented with lamps and side tables to create a homely ambience. – Avantika Shankar
NOTE – This article was originally published in architecturaldigest and can be viewed here
Tags: #Alibaug, #architects, #architecture, #beautyofnature, #environment, #getgreengetgrowing, #gngagritech, #greenstories, #home, #kerala, #nature, #openspaces, #sustainable
