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Living Homes

A farmhouse in Karjat designed to coexist with its surroundings—and without air-conditioning

By Genesia Alves

 

For our series The Way We Live this week we tour a holiday home in Karjat. Sitting under the shade of a mango tree on a farm outside the city, this home affords its residents a pause from their daily lives. The well-thought out design allows for unobstructed views of the farm, ample natural light and even reduces the temperature

 

Tour this holiday home in Karjat that has been named ‘Under the Mango Tree’

"Long before the house was built, sitting under the sprawling canopy of one of the old mango trees on this little farm in Karjat, architect Nishita Kamdar was reminded of the opening couplet from WH Davies’ famous poem, ‘Leisure’; “What is this life, if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare?”

Owned by a couple in their late 50s, the space was designed to be an occasional holiday home. The busy entrepreneurs now spend most of their weekends here along with their two daughters and sometimes with friends. Kamdar says, “The couple wanted a space to offer a solace their hectic lives lacked in the city.” It fit into her own philosophy, “A house is a space, a home is a feeling; a collection of the owner’s memories. Homes need to be tailor-made for their occupants and not driven by trends.”

The architect believes the entrance to any home is a portal to a new world and viewing the farmhouse, flanked by foliage, from the driveway, is like a ‘sneak peek’ into what is to come.

“We wanted the shell layers of the house to do all the talking and let the rest of the elements take a backseat,” the architect explains. Wireframe lamps highlight the exposed teak wood batons on the ceiling.


Primarily agricultural, Karjat is at a slightly higher altitude and experiences heavy rainfall and extreme temperatures. The plot itself overlooks a dam to one side and a farm to the other. Kamdar’s primary objective was to bring nature ‘in’ as efficiently as possible. “For that sense of openness, we wanted the built form to be as minimal as possible,” she says. The team built a beautiful shell structure, “a teak wood clad exposed steel roof, large glass and metal doors and a monolithic granite clad plinth forms the architectural and design language of the space.”

 


As they spent time on the property, taking refuge from the searing sunlight or the soaking showers, the group realised how integral the mango tree was to the site and decided to place the house just below its canopy. “And that’s how the project was named ‘Under the Mango Tree’,” says the architect.

LIVING WITH THE ELEMENTS
Karjat’s environmental challenges were negotiated within a few ways. Kamdar says, “To overcome the extreme rainfall, the house’s continuous, long pitched roof allows water to slope down into a dedicated drainage space. The angle of the pitch is designed to allow unobstructed views of the farm.” A layer of XPS sheeting on the roof caused a reduction in the temperature of the interiors by as much as five degrees.
 

The home itself was orientated so the light in every room is diffused and no space is bombarded with direct sunlight. Meanwhile, the open plan of the house ensured there’s plenty of cross ventilation. The architect says, “The linearity of the house almost creates a wind tunnel which means the owners have never used artificial air-conditioning either during the day or even in the summer. And because of the large doors, there is no need for artificial lighting during the day. As a result, the energy consumption of the home is very low and makes it very sustainable.” Such is life under the shade of an old mango tree. In the monsoon, while the city buckles under the onslaught, here the house comes into its own. Kamdar says, “This farm, surrounded by greenery, the mountains in the background, is at its absolute best in the monsoon. 

Handmade by local artisans, this 4-poster bed was designed by the team and is the centerpiece of this kids’ room.

Everything is lush, green and you’re treated to the sight of several sorts of visitors – animals, birds, even peacocks. It’s the perfect space to drink a hot cup of chai and watch the rain.”
WH Davies would have approved.
 

Size (square footage): 5,500 sq ft

Years lived: 2 

Style: Industrial 

Interior design philosophy: The architecture of the space seamlessly flows into the interiors. We did not want to differentiate the two from each other. The outside is unabashedly allowed to flow into the inside.

Favourite materials to work with: metal and wood for their malleability 

3 thumb rules to follow when designing a home: declutter, tailor make to your sensibility, keep it utilitarian

Best compliment: You've given us a beautiful home to create beautiful memories in!

Artist the client enjoys: The clients love collecting memories and making coffee table books. They own a lovely collection of Dayanita Singh’s 

 

The ceiling is 15ft at its highest, sloping down to a comfortable 9 feet high. A clear glass partition separates the solid wall from the ceiling, giving the illusion of a floating roof and letting light travel from one space into the next.

The best seats in the house! Kamdar says, “You will always find the couple here, in their armchairs, watching their cows graze, gazing out at their farm or far away into the mountains, sipping on chai, having a lighthearted conversation. This is the exact pause they wanted!”

The dining table was custom made, on site, to suit the proportions of the space. The brief was to create a functional piece that drew no undue attention to itself. The flooring – leather finish granite – does not only have a pleasing texture but it remains naturally cool as well.

The bedrooms have windows on either side – in keeping with the design of the house that doesn’t have a demarcated front and back. The windows offer unobstructed views of the farm and beyond.

Simple materials, resonant colours and the harmony between wood and granite lend a warmth to the bedroom. The architect believes providing a large window seat allows for the mind to wander and reflect.

Much larger than the average city bathroom, the sloping roof here adds even more space. A large mirror provides an illusion of greater expanse while amplifying the natural light that floods the room by day.

Photographs

Prachi Damle

Video

Red Kite Studio

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