Living room front facade

Here we are close to week 100 of construction and closing in on completion. These are some photos from last week that we thought we will share in the festival spirit to get you excited about the soon-to-be final product.

We had a friend visit the house a few days back and he said that the trees appear as if they have been planted in place after the building is built. Keep in mind, the trees that he was talking about are the 13-14 existing full grown trees that have been carefully integrated in the site planning and building design for the house. Knowing that, his comment was a great validation for our efforts and hopefully the success of achieving our core concepts. 

View of the master bedroom among the trees

View of the sunset from the master bedroom deck

Partial view of the roof among the trees

Continue reading more updates for the project.

View of the pavilion block from the main house with the driveway on the right

After much attention has been paid to the main house, we have decided to do an entire post on just the pavilion block. To refresh your memory, the house is planned in a L-shape configuration, with the main house sited at the back of the site, also the highest point on the site with a separate pavilion block that is located adjacent to the pool and is connected with the main house through a series of courtyards. (See previous post of Site Planning Concept)

View of the pavilion block from the access road. The idea is to have this translucent box be the only elevation seen from the road, that gives the idea of what lies within but maintains the privacy of the main house

The pavilion block is designed to create spaces that have the ability to be even more open than the main house and offer flexible use based on the whims of the owner depending on need, season and/ or time of day. As required, it can function as a separate guest cottage; or an inspiring office; workshop space; a pavilion to the pool, or entertainment space.

Following the theme of grand (and barefoot) luxury in the project, the pavilion block is an expanded version of a typical pool pavilion. It is comprised of a separate bedroom, bathroom and covered sitting area, and is located adjacent to the swimming pool. It is designed to be an airy pool pavilion and at the same time can be the fourth bedroom when needed or used as an independent guest cottage that can maybe be used by friends when the owners of the house are not around and the main house is locked and unavailable for use.

View of the pavilion block from across the pool with the existing trees in the pool deck

The general design of the pavilion follows the design vocabulary of the main house. It is a linear block that appears to float from the pool deck. We have chosen to leave most of the steel structural frame and the underside of the aluminium roofing exposed to give the pavilion a more raw-authentic feel. The doors are a combination of sliding wood and glass panels along with some wood louvers.

View from the pool deck with the louvered pavilion block 

Other things that we love about the pavilion block are the old existing trees that have been retained between the pool and the pavilion. These trees provide relaxing shade, play of light, bring birds and butterflies and provide excellent visual drama from the pavilion block. For the flooring of the pavilion block, we have chosen to do a combination of wood (in bedroom) and grit finished terrazzo (in sit-out and bathroom). This flooring once again provides the textural element to the pavilion that is meant to bring it closer to nature. Lastly, the bathroom in the pavilion is extra special and we are doing something very exciting there… but I think I will not let the secret out just yet and put up a photo when it is completed.

Continue reading  more updates for the project.

Strawberry in Karan Manral's palm. Part of Yogi Farm's Top 50 produce from last year

There is little that tastes better than fresh seasonal organic produce.. After moving to Goa, I was excited about having access to fresh local produce but it was fairly clear that this produce was far from being organic. While shopping at local markets, I was also determined to grow vegetables in my own garden. All I wanted was some eggplant, some okra, herbs, lemons and bright red tomatoes... But maybe because our east-facing garden gets little sun, or the sub-soil is rocky, or maybe I just didn't talk to the plants enough.. all my attempts have been so far unsuccessful. To remedy this, I have attended gardening workshops, bought seeds from several sources and taken tips from a neighbor who has converted his garden into a mini-farm…but nothing has worked...

I had almost given up when on a recent visit to California, driving through the countryside with endless farms producing lovely sweet organic produce gave me an extra push to pursue this passion. I realized that if I can't grow in Goa then it is definitely not going to happen anywhere else.. So I reached out to the local experts, Karan Manral and Yogita Mehra, who together have been experimenting with organic farming in Goa for the last 3 years. Last year, the couple started Yogi Farms at a 800 sq.m.plot where they experimented with growing various types of vegetables organically. The plan for me is to visit their farm this season at key stages so I can pick up a little on farming techniques, ask questions, stay inspired and absorb all the positive energy from organic farming on their farm !

Succulent tomatoes, part of Yogi Farm's Top 50 produce from last year

My first visit was in early October, when they were getting ready for the season's planting. This year, Yogi Farm is working on a large farm in Taleigao near Panjim in Goa. One half of it is like an open field where they had grown vegetables last year (we will call it 'vegetable farm A'), whereas the second part of the farm is actually a coconut farm where they are now experimenting with various plantation crops depending on the amount of sun received on various patches (we will call it 'plantation farm B').

Beds being prepared for this season's planting among the coconut plantation

When they started last year, the plantation farm B was in a sorry state. For years, the soil had not been ploughed or used for any vegetation. What was worse was that mixed organic waste had been dumped on the soil following some bad advice. Yogi farmers chose to work the soil using a technique called 'Green manuring'. This process involved growing a couple of cycles of a combination of legumes and non-legume crops. They started with strewing seeds before the monsoon and then after allowing them to grow they ploughed the plants and seeds back into the earth. After a few cycles of this exercise, they have managed to improve the soil quality considerably and have also succeeded in bringing back the earthworms (farmer's little friends that help aerate the soil) !! More on Green Manuring on Yogi Farms website.

Turmeric plants

Galangal ! ready for harvest

Among other experiments, they will be doing a lot of cross-planting where different types of plants are grown  in close proximity to compliment each other. They are also experimenting with high-density farming, which is a way to plant a few samplings of fruit trees in close proximity. These trees are then regularly pruned to keep them shorter in height but still productive. They explained to me that this works well in urban areas where space is limited and also solves the practical problem of harvesting produce from very large and spread out trees. They explained to me that they don't really actively do any pest-control other than employing natural means. For example, I was told that planting marigolds keep a certain type of pest away (can't remember the name but will return to that in a later post).. More on pest control the organic way, read here.

What I loved were their efforts to make the farm self-sufficient. They have planted the boundary with bamboo so they can meet their bamboo needs (to build framework for creepers and fragile plants). They are even planning to get their own cows and chicken to get fresh dump that new plants thrive on.

I loved how effortlessly they plan planting cycles. They grew some plants before the monsoon to harvest seeds for the coming season. I watched with a huge smile, as Yogita and Karan walked around the farm early in morning mapping how much sun is received at various parts so they can decide what to plant where. Reminded me of architects conducting first site visits :) They have also planted some shade loving palms at the farm's boundary with roots that can be eaten such as Colocassia and Elephant's foot.

Below are some more photos from Yogi Farm's 'Top 50' produce from last year. This year promises to be even more exciting and I can't wait to be an observer absorbing as much as I can...

Find Yogi Farms on the web and on Facebook.

Photos courtesy Yogi Farms.

We have come so far... Now when I look at the previous construction updates and old pictures, I find it hard to believe that we are almost ready to be finished. At this point, we have installed most of our glass and door hardware. As we speak, the plumbing fittings are going up along with final electrical wiring and switchboards. Hopefully, after this, we will be only left with applying final paint and polish to stone and IPS in floors and walls.

Living room opening detail with find glass, louver and mosquito net detail. See photos of the stage when we began framing this opening and how far we have come. 

Detail of our main entrance door to the living room with is pivoted from the center

Majority of the glass used in the house is toughened that enhances the safety and security of the openings. We have also used solar control glass in the east and west facing openings to reduce heat intake when the sun is lower and not easily protected by horizontal shading devices.

Along with the main house interiors, we are also busy with completing the pavilion block and the outdoor landscaping work. More on that soon..

View of the LHS Bedroom and Master Bedroom with all openings completed

Pavilion block from the driveway with service area below. Loving the shadow of tree on the building !

The bathrooms are also coming together great. See photo below of glass being fixed in the bathrooms. I promise a more detailed report on only bathrooms soon too...

Glass fixed to the master bathroom using patch fittings. On the right is the corner of outdoor tub in the master bathroom

Continue reading  more updates for the project.

Photo in center: Entrance to the courtyard at Raas Hotel in Jodhpur framing the Mehrangad Fort 

This year happens to be the longest time I have spent in India in the last 10 years. So for our year-end travels, we decided to stay within the Indian Subcontinent. When we travel, we like to linger at a few locations, trying to get to know the place, uncover its many layers, pretend to be local and do things the way locals do.... we find this to be more invigorating and revealing than trying to just check boxes of places visited...

In any case, coming back to the reason for this post, after sorting through a list that included Sri Lanka, Burma and Lakshwadeep, we have decided to travel through Rajasthan at the end of the year. The plan is to start from Jaipur (only place with a direct flight from Goa), then travel to Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Udaipur. Now, since I enjoy being in control (read 'freak'..), I am well on my way with the research and planning for the trip. Apart from the forts, palaces, markets, and museums, I am also very keen to discover the newer contemporary luxury hotel architecture that has cropped up in Rajasthan in the recent past. One that has caught my eye and my imagination is the magnificent Raas Hotel in Jodhpur. Seriously, I can't get enough of this one...Other highlights of course are the Devi Ratn hotel in Jaipur and Rasa tents also a Devi resort in Jaipur.

Facade of the new main building wrapped with a sandstone screen

Rass hotel is spread over a relatively small 1.5 acres. It is built into a complex with three heritage buildings that have been carefully restored. But the real beauty of the place is that 3 new buildings have been added to the complex and this has been done with such finesse that if one looks at the photos, it is hard to see where old ends and the new begins. The planning of the new complex is a great example of adaptive reuse. The new buildings are carefully sited and sized such that they become a part of the historic buildings and landscape. See plan and photo below.

Existing Site Plan with three original heritage buildings

New Site Plan for the Raas Hotel with new buildings added to the heritage compound

Photos of the Raas hotel courtyard, where it is difficult to identify the new buildings as they blend perfectly into the historic landscape

In order to blend the old with the new, the designers have used local red sandstone as the dominant exterior material. And that is fine... as the real naunce in design lies in how the designers have managed to use local material, blend it with the old but do all that using a very neat contemporary design language.

Detail of openable screens in sandstone

The building exteriors are wrapped in red sandstone that is used as a contemporary screen. The top of the building that sticks out of the screen in the main block is kept white to keep it from stealing attention but is still not devoid of character due to its understated modern geometry.

Main new building with sandstone screen and modern geometric form 

Inside the screens, they create dramatic patterns with light that changes during the day

Play of light inside the screens

The interiors follow the same wonderfully articulated blend of old and new. I also feel that lighting has been very cleverly designed to highlight the drama in the spaces.

Love this room and the juxtaposition of the old historic with contemporary furniture and lighting

Bathrooms are separated by thick sandstone slabs, bringing historic element to the otherwise modern space

Traditional seating area with contemporary interiors

Nothing looks better than flowing white curtains !! Notice the modern Bertoia chairs in the historic courtyard

Lovely historic courtyard dotted with contemporary furniture and lighting. Also, love the floors..

Designers used mirrors to reflect the surrounding vistas 

Use of mirrors while they distort the landscape adding drama while being whimsical and arty

Here is keeping my fingers crossed so we can get reservations at the Raas !

Designed by Lotus Praxis Initiative.

Watch architect Ambrish Arora's presentation on the design for Raas

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Link to

Raas Hotel Website

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Raas Hotel won the award for Best Holiday Building at the

World Architecture Festival 2011

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Most photos courtesy

www.designboom.com 

Aren't these some of the best images you have ever seen ? Certainly were for me, and I am continually scouring the web for inspirational architecture and design :) The light is what just hits you... all natural making the interiors glow... The founder and visionary behind the project, John Hardy called it 'a cathedral' and I agree....

The awe-inspiring images belong to the Green School in Bali. An initiative towards providing holistic education to children in a natural sustainable environment where they grow up to learn to be an element within nature and not a contradiction. The building is built entirely with natural local materials, mostly bamboo for the structure, grass for roofing and mud for flooring. The beauty is in using such humble materials to build a space that reminds one of a cathedral... So many things about the project are inspiring and made me stop and think and re-think...You can read more about the school and its initiatives at their website.

The project was shortlisted for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2010. See related video here.

For John Hardy's TED talk, click here.

More images below. All images courtesy Green School web photo gallery and Aga Khan Award for Architecture website.

Here is a graphic that lays out the dominant textures at Nivim Goa. All mostly natural selected to make the house a variation of the nature surrounding it and not stick out like an aberration.

Read about more our interior finishes in the last project update.

Continue reading more updates for the project.

I recently stumbled upon this gorgeous rural retreat in Sikkim and thought I should share. The retreat is spread over 4000 sq.m. of land area and utilizes traditional building techniques while following a very modern design aesthetic. I really enjoyed these. Designed by Mancini Enterprises, photos courtesy

Contemporist.com

Living room and front verandah with black kuddapuh stone flooring, exposed basalt stone and wood, our predominant interior material palette with the natural green outside

Last few months, with majority of the woodwork out of the way, while polishers polish the lovely wood, we have been busy with the various flooring and stone cladding details. This also works with the on-going monsoons that limit our ability to work outdoors.

For our interiors, we wanted to continue with the contemporary tropical style of the house and provide finishes that are earthy, natural while still being streamlined and modern. In synergy with the house's concept of 'reconnecting with nature', the interior finishes are designed to have varying textures that can be seen visually and felt upon touch. We also wanted to have similar finishes indoors and outdoors such that the verandahs and courtyards feel like an extension of the interior rooms. Lastly, since we already have the exposed basalt walls, the wood screens and wood/ glass doors, we wanted to keep the finishes simple. Famous architect Meis van de Rohe said 'Less is more'. We truly believe that it is very easy to over-design, and the real excellence in design is achieved by exercising constraint, when a designer can do just enough to make things close to perfect and not over-embellish in an attempt to be safe. I have to at this point also quote Coco Chanel, who famously said that 'when accessorizing, always take off the last thing that you put on'.

Following this direction, we chose to keep our interior palette simple and limited to natural stone, wood, some metal (brass and steel), exposed cement and white paint. The grey cement and white paint finishes are meant to provide a canvas for the furniture, interior lighting, wall art and other accessories without over-crowding the room with too many elements demanding attention. We also steered clear of using imported stone or tiles as we preferred to use locally available materials that require considerably less energy use in transportation.

View of the living room with black kuddapuh flooring while carpenters polish the screen doors in the space

For flooring in the living room, we have chosen black polished kaddapuh (a widely available local stone) that extends to the living room verandahs, only here the stone is left in rough finish. So visually it looks like the same space but there is slight difference in texture if one choses to walk barefoot.

(A side note about the whole 'walking barefoot' connotation, we have designed Nivim with the thought that the residents would use the space to slow down from the daily city craziness, and allow the space to offer inspiration, calm and happiness…)

The black floor in the living room is dramatic and the smooth polish finish will provide the perfect backdrop for the oversize furniture pieces that this grand space demands.

View of the newly finished grey IPS flooring in the bedroom against the exposed basalt stone and wood

In the bedrooms, each room has one exposed basalt stone wall and two walls with wood screens and glass sliding doors. Hence, we have kept our floors simple with grey IPS in the ground floor bedrooms and yellow in the master bedrooms. The IPS cement floors are earthy that stay cool, require little maintenance and age beautifully overtime. To add a modern edge, we have chosen to inlay brass strips into the floor. These strips criss-cross the rooms in seemingly random directions providing a playful little detail along with the touch of additional luxury through the addition of metallic gold.

Detail of the brass inlay in the IPS cement flooring in bedrooms

The bathrooms are a composition in rough kadapuh, IPS cement, glass and planted exterior courtyards. These require a separate post which will follow soon. Until then enjoy some photos of other jobs being completed on-site. Cheers !

Polishing the living room fixed screens

Hanging the sliding doors in the living room

Rear verandah of the living room

Detail of the old laterite wall from the original structure that has been preserved as a backdrop for the living room and as a homage to the history of the site

Continue reading more updates for the project.

Initial Sketch, Pompidou Center, 1971-78, Piano & Rogers (Source: www.phaidon.com)

Renzo Piano is the architect of hands-down my most favorite building in Paris, the George Pompidou Center (sorry Mr. Nouvel, I love your buildings too..).

Watch the video below as he describes what architecture means to him. Truly inspiring when he says, 'architecture is the way to answer practical needs; but architecture is only architecture when it answers to all sorts of desires.' Also that architecture can change the world. And further in the interview, that the inspiring element of 21st century will be energy and sustainability... and that sustainability should be looked at as a new and positive opportunity for buildings and young professionals.

Click on

link to watch Video Part I and II

, courtesy archdaily.com