Located in a little village fairly near Bombay in the Indian state of Maharashtra, this country house set amidst luxuriant tropical vegetation is in keeping with the culture and lifestyle traditions of the region. Standing in a large 3 acre plot (almost one hectare), the ground plan comprises three linear blocks: a main, two-level residence; lying parallel to this, a second single-level accessory services block; and a third block, set at right angles to the other two, with a linear sequence of three different sized guest rooms. The three volumes are hinged around a confined yet open space that serves as an entrance foyer from where circulation routes branch out to the different blocks. A key feature of the architectural programme is the way exterior spaces mesh with the interior living environments. By using a regular geometrical sequence of separate, mostly non-communicating environments, so that you have to go outdoors to get to another room, the architects have heightened the continuity between the tropical vegetation - that seems to press in on the house - and the interior living areas. Nature and built volumes do not just enter into visual contact. They become one and the same. It is an organic whole that will intensify with time as the vegetation grows back and covers the walls of the house. The programme can truly be described as going back to nature. The aim: to achieve perfect symbiosis between a manmade object and the pulsating natural world. The main residence and guest wing are set at right angles around an open court. Here a pre-existing water fountain and trough and a new swimming pool with annexed service pavilion are again surrounded by ever-present vegetation. The central double-height living zone, flanked by a media room and two bedrooms, signposts the main residence. On the upper floor is the master bedroom and en suite bathroom. A slanting wing-like roof is a further distinctive landmark. Throughout, interiors and exteriors are fused, mediated...
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