House in Corjuem
The site/place had a feeling of ‘going to’ as it is not abutting a road or visible from it. This feeling called for a possible journey to the house. The site, a linear piece of land, in its natural state had an inherent quality of light and shade due to the absence and presence of vegetation. The existing vegetation and the proposed plan to introduce gardens led to the possibility of the story changing as per seasons. The house is therefore imagined as a pavilion or a stage to view the gardens and its seasonal unfolding. Some intimate views, some more direct, some layered. The place has a possibility of being in an intimate relationship with the outside as it almost forms an island on the parcel of land within the capricious landscape. The roof, the walls and the apertures allow for the nature to be received at all times. The perpetual accessibility to the ground allows the house to behave as a thoroughfare than a culmination. The utilitarian spaces are planned along the passage allowing life to take place in the ‘in between spaces.
The house is located in the village of Corjuem in the North of the state of Goa, India. A narrow winding road lined with coconut trees directs one to the house. To the right is a dense vegetable garden tended to by the owner who is himself a landscaper, which further opens up to the view of two large trees sitting in the center of the site. The rear half of the site facing south is barren and hot with no shade and looking onto the fields beyond.
The trees in the center inform of a shaded space on an otherwise barren patch of land and hence the house is set amongst the shade of these existing trees and around an old well roughly cut in the existing land. The house is envisaged as a collection of verandahs. Each expandable in its nature to absorb functions. The entry passage acts as a long verandah facing the central well and is enclosed by sliding wooden shutters.
These shutters are made up of wooden strips woven together thus creating a gap allowing wind and light that ventilates the spaces. The verandah expands as a space to welcome guests and acts as a casual sitting space where one can sit on the edge of the passage looking out at the garden and the trees. To the south is a deep verandah allowing one to sit in a shaded space and appreciate the bright southern garden and the surrounding fields beyond. This garden is planned to have larger trees interspersed giving respite from the southern sun and yet having glimpses of the view beyond. The living and dining along with the deep verandah in the south form a seamless space connecting the entire site. The northern garden, the central garden, the living/dining space and the southern garden are all connected and form one large uninterrupted space.
The land floods every monsoon as it is low lying and catches all the water from the neighboring hills and the surrounding land emptying into the field beyond and therefore the house is placed on a higher plinth. The construction method employs a simple frame structure with infills of hollow clay blocks and plastered and finished internally as well as externally in lime which further aids in keeping the house cool. The wooden louvers under the insulated metal roof allows hot air to escape. The faint light enters through these louvers and washes the dark plywood ceiling creating an intimate atmosphere. The living/dining is a one large space allowing its occupants the freedom to plan their life. The wind circulates through the openings as most of the windows in the house are made of metal and infilled with mosquito nets. Slim metal shutters lined with a fine mesh is what divides the inside from the outside. A view of the garden seen through a glass window is different from the view seen through a fine mesh as glass reflects and also creates a clear and a sharp image and brings in sharp day light whereas a mesh provides one with a dreamy view of the outside and fills the space with a mild and soft light. This also keeps the spaces well-ventilated without having to depend on artificial cooling devices.
The kitchen is placed in a slight offset receiving light from the east and south. The kitchen has a narrow strip window overlooking the plants to the east and the pool to the south. The louvered frost glass above the window provides diffused natural light while cooking. A slight level difference leads to the private study that opens to the view of the mango tree. The study has a large bay window opening to the central courtyard. The shutters of this window are so designed as to allow the occupant its privacy and at the same time enjoy the view of the trees and the sky.
A dark wooden staircase leads to the private space above which houses a small study and the sleeping space.
Most of the wood used for doors and furniture in the house is of salvaged wood and the interior furniture pieces are a part of owner’s family heirloom. The ornamental doors and the oyster shell doors are reclaimed from the client’s ancestral home bringing with it a past memory and sense of nostalgia to the new home. In this home the utilitarian spaces allow for the body to dwell and the in-between space is where the mind dwells.
