Located in the outskirts of the city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat, this space comprises four major zones. Court Fort is an organic workspace striking a dialogue between the built form and its farm-like surroundings. The first zone, and the largest by size, is the farming space that occupies over sixty percent of the plot in the east. The second is a natural pond in the center, held together by wild greens, contrasted and complemented by the waterbody attached to the built-form in the east. The third is a dense forest plantation in the South-West. Together, these create an ecosystem with seasonal vegetation, dense trees, a natural water body, and varied species of animals and birds that visit regularly.

Court Fort is an Organic Workspace Striking a Dialogue Between the Built Form and its Farm-Like Surroundings | Compartment S4

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Editor’s note : “Living and working amongst nature never seemed more ideal!” Housed on a farm, Court Fort is a haven for all nature lovers. The design reflects the marriage between the raw and manipulated materials that evidently surround the site. Let not its simplistic design blind you from its prudently adopted strategies that complement and favour the climatic and site conditions of the built environment, both of which are vital factors that uplift the life of the structure and the occupants. Rooms are multifunctional and astutely placed, with a semi-private courtyard overlooking and bridging the physical needs of usage. The exposed material palette, having earthy notes, enhances the interiors with its minimal furniture, thus reflecting the client’s beliefs of practicing slow and conscious living. ~ Venessa Thomas (Co-Editor)

The fourth is the built form with its minimal footprint, designed to be non-invasive and to be one with its surroundings. It secretly reveals itself from within the verdure of greens, and yet captivates the onlooker with its simplicity. While weaving in the programmatic requirements of a home-like workspace, the built fabric consciously reduces footprint and uses orientation and axis to its climatic advantage.

This C-shaped introverted built mass secretly opens into a private courtyard in the south; hence the name – Court Fort. The courtyard forms a visual axis with the entrance in the north, dividing the main living-cum-working space into a formal workspace-cum-dining in the west and a sitting/informal meeting space in the east.

These are supplemented by a small kitchenette, wash and a common toilet, accessible from the courtyard for ease of use by the family and visitors. The home in this home-like workspace comes to life in the bedroom. As a relatively private space, it is accessed from the living space and the courtyard and primarily overlooks the champa tree in the courtyard.

The loadbearing exposed brick walls create cozy internal workspaces while a reinforced cement concrete pitch roof shades and humbly sits on top. The indoor walls are finished with lime, keeping the structure and the infill distinctly different while highlighting the structural system of the space.

The red bricks and grey recycled bricks grant the space its primary material character, completed by the wooden furniture and polished concrete flooring edged with black kadappa stone inlay.

Openings in the form of doors and windows flank each wall in the house to allow for verdant views of the forest, garden, and courtyard and a continuous dialogue between the inside and the outside. T

he ledge seating by the entrance and the bed are cast-in-situ and the rest of the furniture is designed to be flexible, movable, and allow for the adaptability of space as suitable. This allows the client to use the large space in a flexible way for workshops, film screenings, lectures, seminars, etc.

The northwest corner of the fort is carved in to create a mini-amphitheater-like space looking onto the farm, where people could gather during workshops and training sessions. It is an interactive social space that is more public, unlike the courtyard which is more inward-looking.

Court Fort is a project that exemplifies minimal and natural living and combines functionality and aesthetics with a simple, easy-to-maintain material palette to deliver a space that is flexible and adaptable to the needs of time and its occupants.

Fact File

Designed by : Compartment S4

Project Type : Workspace cum Weekend home

Project Name : Court Fort

Location : Nandoli, Ahmedabad

Year Built : 2021

Project Size : 1345 Sq.ft

Principal Architects : Aman Amin, Kishan Shah, Manuni Patel, Krishna Parikh, Nishita Parmar, Prasik Chaudhari, Monik Shah & Vedanti Agarwal

Photograph Courtesy : Dhrupad Shukla

Firm’s Website Link : Compartment S4

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