The TATA spillway stream cuts through the Karjat site, creating a 7m-deep gorge amid the hills. As we began the Bridge House project, we faced several challenges — connecting the two land parcels without placing foundations in the 100 ft spillway, ensuring enough clearance for a JCB to clean the streams below, and working with local materials when only wild grass was available within a five-mile radius.
Wallmakers
We designed the Bridge House as a 100 ft suspension bridge of four hyperbolic parabolas, using minimal steel for tensile strength and a thatch-mud composite for compression.
Set amid dense trees, the bridge floats like a cocoon, blending seamlessly into the foliage. Its thatch layer, inspired by pangolin scales, provides insulation and cooling, enabling a long-span, lightweight structure supported by just four footings with minimal impact on the land’s natural contours
The mud plaster layer ensures that rodents or pests don’t burrow their way inside the dwelling (the prime reason for thatch roofs falling out of favor) and adds compressive strength to further stabilize the Bridge House structure in the absence of a vertical suspension pillar. The structure becomes a living ecosystem – where humans dwell undisturbed on the inside and nature finds its place outside.
The farmstead has an open layout with an oculus in the center that acts as a courtyard through which the sky and rain can be enjoyed. The 4 bedrooms are designed with ample openings to the forest or overlooking the stream beneath. The jute screens, mesh screens, and the flooring made up of reclaimed wood from ship decks completed the simplistic look of the farmhouse and serve as an example of adaptive reuse. But most importantly, the Bridge House is a reminder that the hardest of adversities gives birth to innovations.
Fact File
Designed by: Wallmakers
Project Type: Residential Architecture Design
Project Name: Bridge House
Location: Karjat, Maharashtra
Year Built: 2025
Built-up Area: 4500 sqft
Principal Architects: Vinu Daniel
Team Design Credits: Preksha Shah & Ramika Gupta
Photograph Courtesy: Studio IKSHA
Source: Archdaily
Firm’s Website Link: Wallmakers
Firm’s Facebook Link: Wallmakers
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