Palmyra House by Studio Mumbai Architects
Studio Mumbai Architects have designed the Palmyra house in Nandgaon, Maharashtra, India.
The house has been shortlisted for the 2010 Aga Khan Award for Architecture.
Full description after the photos….
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Palmyra House by Studio Mumbai Architects
This two-storey timber house, built as a weekend retreat, lies in the shade of an extensive coconut grove on coastal agricultural land facing the sea, near the fishing village of Nandgaon, south of Mumbai. The functions of the house are placed within two oblong masses slightly offset from one another, whose facades are predominantly characterised by louvers made from the trunks of the local Palmyra palm. The structure is made of ain wood; local basalt was used to make boundary walls, plinths and paving. Plaster finishes were pigmented with sand from the site. The development of the design and detail, which resulted from collaboration between the architect and the craftsmen, took on tested techniques, both local and foreign, and raised them to a finer construction resolution. The house is well-adapted to its environment: the louvers on the elevations enable passive cooling, as does the extensive shade provided by the coconut trees above; water for the house is harvested from three on-site wells, filtered and stored at the top of a water tower and fed by gravity to the house. The result of these measures is a quietly compelling project that is fully integrated into its landscape.
Visit the website of Studio Mumbai Architects – here.
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Jonathan on 27 May 2010 at 5:23 am #
Beautiful.
Cristina on 27 May 2010 at 6:41 am #
Beautiful, I like the way the house integrates with the surrounding environment.
andrew on 27 May 2010 at 6:47 am #
spectacular use of vernacular building materials and styles. the simple vision is very clear and well executed
LittleCaesar on 27 May 2010 at 9:51 am #
It’s got good bones but too dark and spartan for my taste. I would love to see some whites and art.
Arka on 27 May 2010 at 1:27 pm #
The scale of this architectural object, considering its surroundings together with the heights of the vertical palms, is to me a total success. Its longitudinal horizontal volume, complements once again the vertical size of a palm tree.
Other aspects such as spatial qualities, construction issues, materiality, transparency, openings views, the poetics of living at the heights almost like touching the palm leaves, the flexible openings at the ground floor, the pond reflections and the lighting effects… its austere form of life that one experience, yet so intimate with oneself and the others inhabitants, in direct contact with nature. Not to be missed the showers and baths!!!
This is the elemental knowhow in Architecture.
Congratulations. Thanks.
The constructive
LouisP on 27 May 2010 at 1:34 pm #
Yikes! A photographic faux pas with the open toilet lid!!! (Last image)
marshen on 27 May 2010 at 3:01 pm #
A great piece of architecture that perfectly absorbs its surroundings and is absorbed by the surrounding at the same time making a natural harmony. I would only be afraid of a monkey crawling in bed with me with all that wonderful openess, but I guess that comes with the territory.
TW on 27 May 2010 at 3:17 pm #
Love it.
It’s always good to see vernacular architecture that doesn’t pretend to be anything or anywhere else.
Great scale and the material selection is perfect.
Keisha Kornbread on 01 Jun 2010 at 11:09 am #
Stunning! I would never leave it…as long as it had central air.
Nilkanth Gothi on 04 Jun 2010 at 11:11 pm #
Nothing is special in this house. This design is not at all liable to be selected for Aga Khan Award.Detailing is not at all good. Every thing is open and it is located in mosquito prone area . People living in this house will have to sleep, eat and live in mosquito net.Try again and better luck next time.
Sara on 15 Jun 2010 at 8:00 pm #
The red steel shower /sky light and rustic green wall in the bathroom steal the show.
The rest of the space could have used a bit of the same energy – a bit too monotone everywhere else. Love the light through the shutters!
Argee on 27 Jun 2010 at 9:18 pm #
Nice & simple, back to basics with nature incorporated beautifully.
Howard M. Jones on 13 Feb 2011 at 4:26 pm #
Second only to the Plus House in Japan.