When Ajay Gharat determined to construct a house for himself, one factor he was positive about was that he needed a “residence which was in sync with nature”. A second residence, tucked in nature, for him and his spouse and children, he needed an area the place they may run freely and really feel near nature.
“I’m an Ayurvedic physician and have constructed my profession round nature. So when it got here to designing a house, I used to be positive that nature would play an integral half in it,” he shares in a dialog with The Higher India.
Whereas he was decided to make his residence a pure paradise, what he wanted was an architect whose ideas aligned along with his. He went on-line and stumbled upon Mumbai-based architects, Shriya Parasrampuria and Prashant Dupare of Blurring Boundaries.
“My philosophy and concepts matched completely with what the duo and their agency stood for. It took one and half years for the house to be prepared,” he provides.
A pure residence round mango bushes
Ajay had a bit of land in Pen, Raigad that he needed to transform into a house. When the architects noticed the piece of land, its pure magnificence took them aback.
“The property had numerous greenery and 5 mango bushes. Whereas designing the home, we stored in thoughts that the mango bushes shouldn’t be touched. We needed to design a home that flowed by means of the land and lined the utmost space with out disturbing the character round it,” explains Prashant.
The place has an open ground plan and interconnected areas that provide versatility and suppleness, with every area transitioning seamlessly into the following.
“Because the land that we got was not very giant, and the shopper additionally needed a yard the place he may do some natural farming, we needed to utilise each inch and nook of the place. The open plan of the home is such that we have been in a position to usher in more room for the youngsters to run round,” provides Shriya.
A two-bedroom residence with a eating, kitchen and corridor space, the house is made protecting in thoughts the earthy tones and pure supplies that Ajay requested.
Speaking concerning the title of the home, Asmalay, Ajay explains the way it took place. “Our home isn’t sq. or rectangular; it’s not evenly distributed, which supplies it a novel rhythm. This uniqueness has three meanings,” he says.
“First, the phrase “Asma” means uneven, and “laya” refers to circulate or rhythm, reflecting the home’s design. Second, in Marathi “Asma” means “ours” and “alai” means “home’, symbolising “our home”. Lastly, for those who write it in English as “A S S M,” it represents our household: Ajay (me), Swara (my spouse), Megha (our elder baby), and Swaraj (our youthful baby). The “A A” comes from “Chakla”, tying all of it collectively. Isn’t that candy?” he says.
Sustainable, trendy and nature-friendly
“When the architects have been designing the place, I discussed that I didn’t wish to use cement or, at the very least, needed minimal use of it,” shares Ajay.
So that’s what the architects delivered.
“On this explicit mission, we determined to go for minimal cement and go forward with locally-sourced bricks. This was achieved to minimise the carbon footprint we go away behind whereas developing a constructing,” shares Shriya.
The house is a end result of naturally formed arches, fantastically carved brick partitions and big home windows that mix the outside and indoors.
“We felt that the materiality of bricks additionally allowed the pure gentle to behave as a sculpting component, creating dramatic shadows and highlighting the constructing’s curves and contours,” shares Shriya.
One other fascinating factor concerning the house is that it has a novel roof. “The north-facing ferro-cement roof has been rigorously designed to accommodate present bushes whose horizontal canopies present pure shading, negating the necessity for air-conditioning. We as architects needed to scale back the usage of mechanical air flow as a lot as attainable,” says Shriya.
The thought behind utilizing locally-sourced brick and stone was to supply a considerate mix of earthy colors with a novel spatial construction, together with the colourful greenery across the space.
“We deliberately left the brick uncovered in order that the fantastic thing about the bricks reveals,” says Prashant.
One other spotlight of the property is a load-bearing glass wall alongside the staircase. “We requested the shopper to gather waste beer bottles for the construction. The thought behind the wall is to make use of upcycled supplies within the residence. The bottles have been upcycled into a ravishing wall and when the solar is setting, the sunshine passes by means of it, giving it a tremendous glow,” explains Shriya.
In a bid to not waste any supplies, the architects made furnishings utilizing the leftover supplies. “The beds and benches are product of bricks and are everlasting. This not solely decreased waste but additionally gave the house a extra earthy and clear look,” says Prashant.
One of many favorite parts of the home, Ajay says that it took him a number of visits to scrap sellers but it surely was price it ultimately.
“We ensured that there was no waste through the development course of too. We utilised each little bit of supplies that we have been utilizing. The muse is made utilizing stone, negating the usage of metal. We now have additionally upcycled tiles and waste marble chips for the flooring of the house,” she says.
The property is now the loving residence of Ajay’s household. It took almost 1.5 years of sketching, designing and development to finish the home and price round Rs 45 lakh.
“The most effective half about the home is that each one the planning, incorporation of nature, and big home windows have made the home 3-4 levels cooler. The world is kind of sizzling throughout summers however you possibly can really feel the distinction in temperature as you come inside the home,” Ajay factors out.
(Edited by Padmashree Pande; All Footage Credit score: Blurring Boundaries)
