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Architects: Spaces Architects@ka
- Area: 20000 ft²
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Photographs:Akhil bakshi
Text description provided by the architects. The sprawling farmhouse has a built-up area of 20,000 sq ft on a 2.5 acre site. With a contemporary vocabulary enhanced by attention to detailing, the layout of the structure ensures views of the pool or the lawn from all parts of the house.
Farmhouse is certainly a euphemism for this home. ‘Mansion’ or ‘luxury hotel’ might be more appropriate word to define the design. Enormous rooms and bathrooms, Jacuzzis, sunken bathtubs, steam rooms, a card room and a spa are all par for the course.The geometry of the structure is composed of a cluster of perpendicular blocks, with a zinc- clad protruding cantilevered box over the entrance various architectural compositions present themselves, when viewed from different sides. A ‘fire room’ to house a fireplace for those cold days in Delhi, has a water body on its periphery. This unusual twist combines the dual imagery of fire and water.
The building, a modern structure, sits at the rear end of the rectangular plot, with a landscaped garden in front. Its geometry is composed of a cluster of perpendicular blocks, with a protruding cantilevered box over the entrance. A pergola casts interesting shadows, which change with the time of the day. Various architectural compositions present themselves, when viewed from different sides. The approach through the driveway provides a view of the cantilevered block, which is clad with zinc from a European company, (for the first time in India), giving it a distinctive character. The rest of the exterior is a combination of glass, and rough tile cladding.
Two storeys house the private and semi private areas. There are two units- guest space which face the gardens, and the main areas which overlook the poolside. The ground floor has the lobby, drawing and dining rooms, two bedrooms and a bar area, whereas the upper floor has three bedrooms with a master bedroom. At the pool side, at right angles to the drawing room, is the home theatre and gym. The spa is at right angles to the dining room, creating a closed, private space. Special attention has been paid to the treatment of the ceilings in every room, offering a fresh design and lighting option everywhere.
Entering the house through tall entrance doors leads to the double- height lobby, with office space alongside. Further inside, the staircase on one side leads to the first floor, its encasing glass panels allowing light into the interior space and also giving a view of the front garden. The space is dramatised by the rough Indian stone cladding on its side walls.
Further on, there is a glimpse of the pool from the lobby and many of the internal spaces look onto it. However, the most spectacular view of the home is from the pool. The drawing and dining rooms are placed at right angles to each other, while a glass lift in the lobby has a water body around it. This connectsOuter and inner spaces, bringing nature close to the living space and also allowing light into the family lounge. The two bedrooms are alongside the glass lift and the family lounge connects to the kitchen (which also has an approach from the dining room), and to the bar area at the end.The glass lift in the lobby has a water body around it. This connects outer and inner spaces, bringing nature close to the living space and also allowing light into the family lounge.
The staircase leads to the upper floor, where a lobby overlooks the double- height drawing and dining rooms below. Two bedrooms are place precisely above the ones below, one of which extends above the entrance lobby on the lower floor. The master bedroom at the other end has balconies opening towards the front garden and the pool area. Its attached bathroom with a view of the pool and the terrace of the gym has floor- to- ceiling glass wrapping around the wash basin area, with a wall to screen the sunken tub.
The pool area with private spaces embracing it is the most interesting part of the house, the space changing with the sunlight at different times of the day. The gym (which extends into a party space) and spa are at a lower level, with steps leading to terrace garden above the gym.A wooden pergola cast’s criss cross shadows on the terrace.
The design is an attempt to create an eagerness to explore the spaces, while walking through them. It involved working with numerous scale models, testing form and spatial relationships and then refining them. The project also emphasised detail in terms of materials and forms. The attention to detail has created perfect transitions between different spaces. The connections between different areas were studied, so that they functioned optimally;
Special attention has been paid to the treatment of the ceilings in every room, offering a fresh design and lighting option everywhere. A wooden screen alongside the corridor adds visual interest, its lines echoing the pergola outside. The master bath has a view of the pool as well as the terrace of the gym. With floor- to- ceiling glass wrapping around the wash basin area, and a wall screens the sunken tub.
