Gulmohar Greens Modern Villa House located beyond the western periphery of Ahmedabad city; the project locates in an area that geographically marks the beginning of the flat, arid landscape that culminates as the Little Rann of Kutch. The selected plot of land is approached obliquely by a vehicular road that reveals a row of Gulmohar trees along its eastern edge. This diagonal view- the first moment of encounter with the site- is capitalized on and developed into the main organizational axis for the house.
Gulmohar Greens Modern Villa House Project Details
Villa House Design Concept
Siting – Major building masses- i.e., the principal house, swimming pool, gazebo, and caretaker’s residence are aligned along the western edge of the site. Of these, the ancillary spaces are thickened into an edge-like formation along the shared boundary with the neighboring plot.
This frees the smaller front garden to circumscribe about the house, go past the row of Gulmohar trees, and extend into the larger rear garden- a move that unifies the exterior space into a continuous, unfolding gardened landscape that envelops the house.
Villa House Planning Organization & Movement
Constituent parts of the house (living, cooking, and sleeping areas) are staggered along the north-south direction to create large verandas at the corners of the plan. Through them, the living, kitchen, and dining spaces open towards the front garden, while the bedrooms look into the larger back garden and pool.
By carving out semi-open spaces in the opposite and non-adjacent positions of the plan, the verandas invoke a sense of diagonal orientation for the house.
In Section, the RCC gable roof is inclined and rotated vis-à-vis the plan such that its ridge line follows the same diagonal axis connecting the two corner verandas below. Covering the entire scheme, the roof is interrupted only in the center by a large terrace room above the ground floor.
This volume cuts through the inclined roof to create a flat upper deck at the highest level of the project.
This part of the house is developed sculpturally to recall the formal conditions of a ship’s stern deck, which affords the best views of the surrounding natural landscape.
Modern Villa House Interior
Intersecting volumes of the house create different levels, which are connected by a path that begins with the dog-legged staircase at the ground level, cuts across the terrace room above, turns, and uses the inclined RCC roof as a ramp that leads to the upper deck.
From the darkened interior of the house at the ground level to its culmination and release into the skyscape, the overall schema unfolds sequentially through this rhythmic movement. It offers a comprehensive experience of the project’s formal and spatial characteristics.
Villa House Project Fact File
Project: HOUSES
Location: TELAV, INDIA
Architects: Studio 4000
Area: 3875 m²
Year: 2023
Photographs: Rahul Zota
Manufacturers: A cube Inc, Ahmedabad, Amulya WPC, Asian Paints, Casa Bel, Duro, Dynamic House, EPPW, Enox, Havells, Jaguar, Jayantilal and Co, Norisys, Palazzo furniture, Philips, St. Gobain, TATA
- Lead Architects: Smit Vyas, Khushboo Vyas
- Structure Design: StrucArt Design Consultants
- Interior Design: Smit Vyas, Khushboo Vyas, Arpita Agarwal
- Working Drawings: Arjavi Mehta, Arpita Agarwal, Yogan Shah
- Presentation Drawings: Smit Vyas, Shreya Mittal
- Plumbing: Hemant Makwana
- Security System: Mukesh Rathod
- Automation: Mukesh Rathod
- Pool Consultant: Neer Tech
- City: Telav
- Country: India
Text description provided by the architects.
Villa House Structure & Materials
The project uses a composite structural system consisting of load-bearing brick walls and RCC columns. Closer to the ground level, columns are tied by the walls, while above, they are freed to meet the roof independently. The lower part of the house is clad in Travertine stone from the outside and articulated into a thick base upon which the inclined RCC roof hovers.
Modern Villa Roof
The roof flares above the northeast veranda, from where it lowers and relaxes towards the opposite corner. Its projecting edges are additionally supported with thinner, circular M.S. columns skewed to receive the thrust from the projecting corners.
These steel columns simulate the corner members of a tent and give fluidity to the roof’s expression. As one traverses across the ground floor, the monumentality of the entry is scaled down into a more intimate volume at the back veranda, which opens into the informal gazebo and pool area.
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Summary
Overall, the possibilities of a composite structure are explored to create a high contrast between the environmental conditions at the ground level vis-à-vis the terrace room above. Below, walls control the harsh sunlight through smaller windows and heighten the sense of interiority. This lower part of the house is best enjoyed in the late mornings and afternoons. Above, walls disappear to let the RCC frame and glass make for a more extroverted space that opens itself up to the large trees outside and is best used for soirees and late-night gatherings.
