04
Nov

SAMBANDH HOME WITH A VALLEY VIEW

MYSTIC PLAY OF WHITE CANVAS FOR A VACATION HOME

Located in Khandala, adjacent to Rajmachi point a nearly at land with an east valley view & a west entry. The site had a large rocky part at the centre, stepping down to the valley, with a close by waterfall view on the right and a deeper view of the hills on the left.

Water springs serve as a paradoxical unier of human senses

White walls overlapping visually acts as a canvas.

White solid walls juxtaposing against soft background of the sky .

Bare interiors harmonizing with the valley around.

Bar lights up the living room with oat furniture.

After brainstorming with all the members of the family, we came up with clear agendas as maximizing valley views, encouraging outdoor living through semi open area. An elementary white democratic house with a modern feel, responding to heavy monsoon and low in maintenance.

As there was scope, we started with 3 layouts, jointly froze on the most elementary one, with a simple grid structure.

Rushing rain waters along the stepped cascades reect parallel with mountain river suiting the topography.

Open verandahs gives a boundless view of the valley.

Indirect skylight lighting up the area dimly.

Valley adds new meaning to the house, drawing attention to the exuberant nature.

The requirement was a vacation home for 4 generations with a living areas on the lower oor and on the upper level, 5 secluded identical bedrooms, with valley views and an east facing large Pooja space. Indoors mostly to be ventilated and lit naturally and concern to the harsh monsoon climate.

The center of the plot being the rocky part, the building is placed there with a front kotah paved court. A long high blank, southwest facing concrete wall that divides the plot into the paved areas and greens, the male and the female is used as an organizing principle and a starting point. This southwest facade of the front court protects the building from the lashing rains and at the same time conceals the valley view with greens and owers. This other blank walls protect the entrance door and conceal the service quarters.

An intermediate occur wall within the building separates the foyer from the living areas. In the foyer a 12 meter long opening in the roof slab of the foyer, skylights and ventilates the interior double ht space with a staircase leading to the temple and 5 secluded valley facing rooms . The living opens out to the verandahs that ventilate the living room, as the glass façade is

xed to protect from the rains & winds. from the valley side. The pool in the open is accessed through the verandah and further leads to the raised viewing deck in the extreme corner concealing with changing rooms and sauna .Water from the terrace is channelized and poured out in the form of cascades into 2m large stone tubs for waterfall bath in the rains, which is collected to serve the water springs in the front court.

The approach to the house is through the rough kotah paved court dotted with 5 water springs. This court holds a large blank wall along with juxtaposed white canvas like walls that reect the color of the sky and hold the moving shadows of the trees and at the same time conceal the valley views. These are devoid of reference of scale intentionally intending abstract. The wooden door main door opens to a foyer with a stone statue of lord Ganesha. The foyer is connected to the kitchen on one side which opens to a court with clay oven. And on the other side connected to a study overlooking a sculpture court, lined with piers, which act as screens when viewed from indoors.

The compressed linear foyer space springs out to a C shaped glass living room merges into the green outdoors. The occur verandah walls of the living room extend to the open, reaching out to the boundaries on either side connecting the inside outside . A cerulean blue innity edge swimming pool with Jacuzzi faces the valley along with a raised viewing deck perched on the extreme corner of the plot to maximize the deep valley views. As the landscape steps down towards the valley, the edge of the entire length of the valley side building glass façade is lined with 4 ft wide tray dotted with water springs. The winds in the winter were stronger than expected. Glass joints had to line up with glass ns an aluminum sections with steel rods inside. Cloud kissed Identical bedrooms with valley views through windows which are with low softs and intentionaly horizontal in proportion for cinematographic frames. The beds are placed centre with a study n storage back, a walk in wardrobe and bathrooms with large glass with venetian blinds facing the valley. The internal spaces are lit up with elementary wall lights. External construction is rcc and glass, avoiding brick masonary due to harsh weather ooring is rough kotah in the outdoors & polished kotah and white marble in the indoor. Walls for the interiors are nished in white marble plaster that add to the misty feel The house provides an experience of being in the clouds, sits subtly reecting the landscape contrasting with surrounding greens.