Vrindavan
Vrindavan, is a 1000 sq.ft. humble farmstay, built for a retired couple on their mango farm in Sindhudurg, Maharashtra. Built within a tight budget of 15,000 USD, this quiet abode, exemplifies a cost effective sustainable way of living.
Vrindavan is a humble 1000 sq.ft. farmstay, in Sindhudurg, Maharashtra. The Clients, in their 60s, approached us to design-build their retirement home, as a humble abode close to nature within a budget of Rs. 10 lacs, at a cost of Rs.1000/sq.ft.
The house sits within a dense grove of mangoes and chikoos, overlooking a distant hillock through a filter of green treetops.
The House is designed as a series of 12’wide descending spaces following the site topography, from a private bedroom & bath to an airy Living onto a 14’ high verandah with a deck, overlooking the hillock. The Living and Bedroom merge into one, during daytime. The entry to the house is marked through a thin, see-through vestibule, connecting the main house to the kitchen. The kitchen has a service court, for the desi-chullah enclosed by a stone jali.
Chira (laterite), a cheap indigenous porous stone procured from a quarry 3 kms away, is the main load bearing structural element of the house. Chira, laid using lime-cement mortar behaves like an earthenware, withstanding the scorching sun and the fierce monsoon.
Shade, for this tropical house, is ensured through large pitched roof overhangs from local clay roofing tiles. The door-windows are crafted from salvaged teak, jackfruit wood, by reusing the rafters of an old Hindu temple nearby. The Floor and internal walls have been lined with indian Kotah stone, adding another layer of heat insulation. The Client’s old unused furniture has been altered/reused for the house.
A balance between the optimal use of local materials and reuse of existing resources has led us to design-build this sustainable farmstay.
The delight of being able to pluck a mango from your window, sip a cup of tea while watching the sunset through a filter of shades of green, is an experience the Clients cherish. This house is not about how it looks, but about what it overlooks and how it feels once inside it. It is about a seamless connect between this modest abode and an orchard lovingly nurtured by the Clients over the past 15 years.
