In the outskirts of Bharuch, Gujarat, the dense 50 year old Sapota plantations held both the main attraction and the biggest challenge in the design of this weekend house for the Shah family. Situated within 800,000 square feet of farmland, the plot has 30 fully grown Sapota trees that the clients wanted to preserve in all their glory. External link: Dipen Gada Architects came up with a plan to form a 15,000 square foot house around the mature trees, making them the main feature of the impressive home. A central courtyard hosts one of these majestic trees right at the heart of the home, whilst another climbs through a picturesque balcony.
The exterior of the modern house is a red brickwork linear mass, with an impressive brick staircase leading up to the front entrance.
The modern facade features custom-made metal columns and beams, which coolly contrast with the exposed red brickwork. The north-facing front facade features an abundance of openings with large deck areas laid out in front to allow the homeowners and their family to connect with the landscape.
One of the mature Sapota trees is incorporated into the front entry porch, where it bursts up through the patio and continues on through the upper balcony. The house was designed to ensure minimum trees were damaged so that the original beauty of the plot would be maintained.
Glass walls create the appearance that the whole house is part of the great outdoors, just as the clients wished. The enormous glass panels can be drawn back to create a more real connection, and to achieve airflow through the home. The kitchen is a non-conventional layout with a dominant huge island. A small butler kitchen is situated at the back of the room, where major cooking can be completed out of sight.
A cantilevered canopy over the outdoor dining room acts as the main balcony for the first floor.
An outdoor bench rests on the front terrace, perfectly situated for taking in the pretty vista created by the resident Sapota there.
A huge recreational space is located on the ground floor, which runs on into the main living room. The multifunctional area is attractively wrapped with a unique perforated screen that depicts jungle landscape and animals within the pierced metal panels. The doors were initially introduced to prevent unwanted animals from entering, but now form a main feature of the house.
The decorative metal doors can be fully drawn back so that the room becomes merged with the landscape.
A swing seat offers a relaxing reading spot within the shaded lounge area, and introduces a pop of playful colour.
The front entryway leads directly onto the central courtyard design of the home, where another fabulous tree retains its territory.
The clients business background in industrial fabrication is communicated through the home’s metal structural system. The steelwork makes bold counteraction with the organic elements that speak of the client’s passion for living in nature.
The tree’s canopy reaches the full height of the home, where it breaks into the blue sky.
Walking the glass corridor between the central courtyard and the balcony puts you up among the treetops. A seating area out on the balcony looks just too dreamy and inviting to resist.
The home theatre is located up on the first floor, to the left of the courtyard. The theatre room is furnished with a U-shaped modular sofa and a second row behind to accommodate many guests, who can even sleep over in a pinch. A Dali lighting control system is used to dim the lights in the room at movie time, or, guests can watch from the airy terrace that opens towards the northeast.
An outside staircase ascends toward the pool deck.
Up on the pool terrace, mature trees grow a protective embrace around the property.
Two bedrooms open directly onto the pool.
At the back of the central courtyard, there is an internal staircase and a lift.
Made from 10mm folded metal plates, the staircase rises toward two open skylight slits, which cause magical light play upon a piece of ceramic art by artist Devesh Upadhyay, and a desi painting in Kalamkari art.
The first bedroom that connects with the pool area is the master bedroom. A dark blue moonscape painting by Radhika Kacha makes mesmerising bedroom wall decor. A wicker pendant complements the visual warmth of the exposed red brickwork.
Simple and practical furniture was curated from DAAZ.
The bathroom is also coloured with green accents which complement nature’s own colour palette.
The house design was developed with the fundamentals of Vastu firmly in mind.
The red house contrasts brightly against the natural greenery that rushes up to meet it.
Floor plan. The central courtyard serves as the arrival point on the upper floor, which connects with the front deck area above the front entrance. On this level, there is also a service storeroom, and the large home theatre with its huge deck area on the eastern side.
Ground floor plan. The tree punctured grand entrance immediately establishes the union between the natural environment and the man-made structure that shapes this unique home.
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