This traditional home designed for a couple in their late 50s is located in Panshet (outskirts of Pune) overlooking the Panshet and Varasgaon dams. The steeply contoured site allows access from the top, opening to sweeping views in the background. The courtyard house sits largely on a single level, with just one guest room tucked beneath the living room verandah. The house nestles itself amidst the slopes and helps negotiate the level differences from west to east (5Mtrs) and from south to north (almost 20 Mtrs). The parking garage has a flat green roof that merges with the hill plantation (wild grasses) and becomes the entrance place for the house under a slab with circular light punctures.
This Traditional Home is An Ode to The Wadas of Maharashtra | Opolis architects
A preserved tree anchors the entrance forecourt, enriching the character of the arrival space. Distinct in identity, the living, dining, and kitchen unfold around a stone deck court. The sleeping rooms open towards an infinity-edge swimming pool.
The master suite has a verandah and a studio for the artist’s wife to pursue her creative works. The dining space is akin to a wooden pavilion with diffused light from its very modulated door window configuration. Landscaped terraces and light courts help integrate the built volumes with the land.
The traditional home uses a natural stone palette along with plastered surfaces. A red laterite wall is the constant feature along the light courts as one moves from the parking through the house to all bed rooms and acts as a backdrop.
The house sits on a black basalt random masonry base over which the roof casts deep shadows onto the plastered surfaces. A white sandstone in varying textures is used as a flooring throughout the house and integrates the interior and exterior of the house through the stone finish.
The Mangalore tile roof with a teakwood soffit finish from the inside and the wooden doors and windows complement well with the off-white stone flooring to create a seamless experience across the project.
Copper roof gutters are used only where necessary, along with a copper bucket down-take system that enhances the experience during the rains. The steel structure for the roof is articulated to accommodate the special features of the roof shape and design.
This traditional home creates a microclimate for itself with the use of light courts that also provides adequate ventilation throughout all the spaces. A raised stone deck flooring (open jointed) ensures the interior /exterior spaces are seamless in their grade changes and eliminates a conventional plinth in this heavy rainfall region.
Each room commands views of the lakes and dams, and the house has a clear orientation towards the views, with the infinity pool and surrounding deck being the center around which all the activities are arranged.
A solar farm produces all the energy needs of the house, and the house is off the main electrical grid. Water recharge pits harvest all the rainfall within the courts, and the clever uses of retaining walls reduces the water run-off and ensures percolation of ground water.
The continuous modulated roof with its large overhangs adequately protects against the swirling and angular heavy rainfall characteristic of the region and ensures complete water tightness for the entire house.
A clever use of the RCC slab for the parking helps integrate with the hillside and makes the car park disappear on the approach. The louvered windows (both horizontal and vertical) ensure control and modulation of light for interior spaces, along with adequate ventilation.
Fact File
Designed by: Opolis architects
Project Type: Residential Architecture Design
Project Name: House at Panshet
Location: Pune, Maharashtra
Year Built: 2018
Built-up Area: 10817 Sq.ft
Principal Architects: Rahul Gore & Sonal Sancheti
Team Design Credits: Ami Gokani, Tanvi Bhayani & Akul Modi
Photograph Courtesy: Hemant Patil
Engineering & Consulting > Structural: Rajesh Shah Engineers & Consultants Pvt. Ltd.
General Constructing: Aaryan Devcon Pvt. Ltd.
Engineering & Consulting > Electrical: Nashwin Electric Pvt. Ltd.
Landscape Architecture: SVRNA
Source: Archdaily
Firm’s Website Link: Opolis architects
Firm’s Instagram Link: Opolis architects
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