door looks like it might collapse, in a harmonious
avalanche of colliding concrete, yet this only adds to
its material-defying delight. ‘We had to calculate and
recalculate to come up with the formula for the door,’
says Patel of the process, which took around six months
to finalise. The practice has a history of experimenting
with large-scale concrete ‘doors’ made of moving parts,
and this has been its most ambitious yet.
The sculptural staircase, constructed of super-slim
concrete columns that stretch from the height of
the house to the ground, offered the architects further
scope for experimentation. The striking structure,
which lets natural light flow through its interstices,
is also used as a divider between living and dining
spaces in the long central space that stretches through
the plan, spanning its whole width in one part.
‘You can’t define its boundaries – the living room
continues throughout the house,’ says Patel of the long
‘fissure’ that cuts through the property and unites all
the common activities of its inhabitants. The double-
height space for family, business and socialising
was modelled on the concept of the chowk, a central
marketplace found within most Indian villages.
The almost urban nature of the house’s master
plan allows the private activity of each family – or
individual – to occur within smaller rooms on each side
of the fissure. These more intimate spaces are clad
with aged Burma teak amassed by the clients, the
panelled walls smoothly integrating storage, display
niches and even a discreet entry to the family temple.In contrast, the exposed concrete walls in the more
communal spaces are coated with a thin layer of lime
plaster, manually applied to create a brushed, rough
surface, a finish traditionally used in local palaces to
keep the interior cool. Each material was chosen
for its ability to ‘age beautifully over time’ says Patel,
who compares the house to an ‘ancient ruin’.
Outside, green creepers crawl through gaps in the
exterior, a water fountain flows over a large block of
Kandla stone, and reflective pools line the side of the
house. A brutalist gazebo – comprising a single column
supporting a monumental cantilevered roof – appears
to float like an island in the flat landscape, shading
a raised terrace. Landscape architect Vagish Naganur
helped design the space surrounding the house,
which the families intend to use for community
and business events.
The house ‘gives everybody privacy, but when
required, they can all come together’, concludes Patel
of the project. And, while the concept of shared living
has become less popular in India, where a single family
home signals affluence and modernity, this house
reasserts itself in a very contemporary, open-minded
way as a communal solution to all aspects of life. ∂
matharooassociates.comABOVE, A PATIO AREA IN THE
GARDEN, SHELTERED FROM
THE SUN BY A MONUMENTAL
CANTILEVERED ROOF THAT
PERFECTLY MATCHES THE
VOLUMES OF THE MAIN HOUSE
AND THE PROJECTING PORCHThe chiselled stone façade rises like a
solidly sculpted, impenetrable rock face
108 ∑
Architecture