Because the weekend approaches, 4 pals make their method from Chennai to the coastal village of Kuvathur, 80 km from town. Right here, a farmhouse awaits them and their households.
The home in query is hidden from the remainder of the arena, strategically sandwiched among a dense expansion of bushes. Birdsong and whiffs of the sea are welcome visitors, whilst the hustle of town has no position on this a part of the town.
Ask the buddies the cause of this unconventional number of a weekend getaway, and so they say they’d pick out it any day over a town hotel.
One among them, Shaji Ravi, has an affinity for aesthetic designs. His house ‘Mathilummoottil’ constructed and conceptualised by way of RAIN Studio of Design in 2018 is a testomony to this. The house boasts an interaction of rustic textures with wooden, brass and lime plaster as the principle components. So taken up used to be Ravi with the result that he reached out to the architectural company for but some other dream venture quickly after.
In June 2021, he at the side of his pals — all IT execs from Chennai — hatched a dream to have a sustainable getaway inbuilt Kuvathur.
And main architects of RAIN Studio of Design, Vamsi Krishna M, Sriram Adhitya, and Balashanmugam, have been greater than ecstatic to check out out their sustainable concepts in this massive canvas.
Following commencement from the College of Structure & Making plans, Anna College, Chennai, the trio has undertaken a slew of housing initiatives. Every prides itself on a singular design philosophy — wooden and travertine marble constructions, geometrical play of fabrics, and so forth.
Alternatively, sustainability used to be now not the preliminary concept for the ‘Karai’ weekend house, as Ravi stocks. “Coming from an IT background with a hectic lifestyles within the city jungle, all we would have liked used to be a standard calm weekend house with that means that connects with nature. We didn’t have any sustainable concepts in thoughts.”
Alternatively, Vamsi and his staff took one have a look at the 21,600 sq feet assets and knew it used to be a piece of nature. They have been prepared that this interprets into the overall design. Thus started the year-long adventure of making the sustainable dream within the center of Kuvathur.
Revisiting one’s roots
Vamsi’s digital excursion of where offers a glimpse into how herbal fabrics make for very good alternatives in structure. As he says, the house speaks the language of nature. And he isn’t mistaken.
The 4 pals, Shaji Ravi, Sanjeev Britto, Prabhakar Munuswamy, and Madhavan GG, made the transient transparent on the onset. “They sought after a easy construction that might accommodate all 4 households,” notes Vamsi.
The buddies have been impressed by way of conventional South Indian properties and have been searching for a standard nalukettu area (a traditional form of structure present in Kerala, characterized by way of an oblong form composed of 4 sections joined by way of an open courtyard and a sloped roof).
“The plan used to be very simple.”
However, as with every venture, the design is closely dependent at the essence of the web page the place it’s constructed. And, as Vamsi issues out, this used to be no other.
“Common visits to the positioning, accompanied by way of casual conversations with the buyer performed a pivotal position in shaping our inventive adventure. On our preliminary visits, we were given a way of the local weather of the area. The elements is harsh and humid for many of the 12 months. And so, choosing breathable fabrics in development is your only option. We had to pick out fabrics that age neatly,” he provides.
All the way through the development procedure, the architects tied of their concepts with the purchasers’ needs of conventional architectural types. Vamsi stocks, “We delved into cultural references that resonated with each the heritage of the area and the aspirations of the current.”
A couple of circumstances the place that is obvious is the interspersion of conventional South Indian motifs and designs unfold throughout the house — the enduring kuthuvelaku (a decorative brass lamp product of a sequence of diyas), the intricate ikat patterns, and the undying vizhaku madam (a standard wall mount).
Unconventional resources of good looks
To start with look, the house’s spatial aesthetic is a head-turner. However glance once more and you’ll see, the sweetness is lent by way of constructions which might be product of reclaimed subject material. Whilst that is the satisfaction of the venture, it used to be additionally probably the most difficult phase, issues out Vamsi.
“We stored upcycling as our core ideology, however there used to be intense analysis concerned on this. We got here up with numerous iterations and controlled to make use of the reclaimed fabrics to their perfect doable.” He refers back to the Mangalore tiles that make up 75 % of the house.
Along with this, Vamsi says they discovered quite a few recycled, reclaimed home windows, and doorways, ripped off from previous conventional homes at the freeway. They determined to channel those into the venture. “In reality, by way of repurposing the doorways and home windows, the wastage in fabrics and the carbon footprint of constructing new fabrics has been minimize down.”
As we transfer alongside the rooms, there may be modernity blended with custom. “The ensuing design gives a contemporary viewpoint at the cultural legacy embedded in our architectural endeavours,” Vamsi says.
As the buddies crave for weekends to jet off to the valuables, the staff of architects is inexplicably proud in their introduction.
“This used to be all barren,” Vamsi stocks. However regardless that met with this visible after they first undertook the venture, the trio determined to show it round by way of bringing in fertile soil from a neighbouring village and laying it at the land. They then proceeded to develop tropical and local bushes right here overlaying nearly 60 % of the world.
Remember the fact that, lately they’ve controlled to create a thriving ecosystem.
Vamsi provides, “The excavated soil used to be reused for plasters and in making the Compressed Stabilised Earth Blocks (CSEB).”
In reality, the mini wooded area serves extra functions than one. It acts as a cushion for the sprawling 4 bedrooms with an connected tub and kitchenette setup.
As Vamsi explains, “We needed the home to be hidden inside a dense lush inexperienced panorama, so we positioned it within the southwest nook of the valuables and landscaped all the north aspect. The rooms and different dwelling areas such because the eating and kitchen are organised across the linear brick-laid courtroom. The living room acts like a degree that overlooks the ocean and the horizon past. In the meantime, the ‘mutram’ or the courtroom acts as a multifunctional house to relaxation.”
This strategic positioning additionally signifies that 70 % of the home is open – to daylight and sea breeze. With the exception of those sustainable spatial options, there also are measures for rainwater harvesting at the assets. “The sloping roof collects the vast majority of the rainwater and harvests it in a tank of 30,000 litres,” Vamsi notes.
Conscientiousness against nature’s assets radiates during the valuables. In each corner and cranny, there may be house to respire and keep nonetheless. As night time units over the valuables, the buddies may also be noticed enjoyable, lazing and playing the silence. Shaji Ravi, in the meantime, has a place he favours above the entire relaxation.
The swing. “It’s nearer to the courtyard and reasonably shaded by way of the tree, with a fantastic breeze flowing thru. It’s the maximum alive house of Karai.”
Edited by way of Padmashree Pande.