A no-frills farmhouse in Surat, Gujarat, has been conceived by Neogenesis+Studi0261. Intended to take over as the primary home, the architects have endeavoured to anchor the bungalow to the location through their unpretentious choice of materials.
With an existing home in the busy heart of Surat, subjected to all the accompanying noise and bustle, this 4,000 sq. mt. site at Dumas is close to the beach and a contrast in the peace and quiet it offers. “But this was not to be a week-end getaway permanently. Eventually, the client intended to move to this farmhouse and make it home,” says Chinmay Laiwala of Neogenesis.
“We have tried to merge the structure with the landscape,” adds Jigar Asarawala of Studi0261, which collaborated with Neogenesis on this assignment. “The selection of materials, the way they have been used, the size of the openings in the structure, all have been driven by this idea. Consequently, wood has been used, eschewing plywood and laminates; exposed concrete has been left in its natural form, and kota stone clads the floor. The verandah has stone pitching and a random rubble masonry wall. All these come together to create a non-fussy, earthy palette.”
The plinth of the bungalow is high, since the site sits deeper than the main road and is prone to water-logging with inadequate drainage. However, the teak wood louvered windows extend from the floor to the ceiling and endeavour to make the home one with the surrounding chickoo tree plantation. The L-shaped lotus pond is 15 ft. long and wide.
The living room is devoid of colour except for the natural hues of the materials used. The ceiling is in pinewood, while the flooring is mirror-polished golden kota. "The client was very reluctant to use kota on the floor – “this is what is used in bus-stops,” he said. We had to do some sampling before he was convinced,” recalls Asarawala. The television set is mounted on a wooden screen with gaps in its pattern through which glimpses of the courtyard beyond are visible. The bar is located on the far side of the covered pool, which extends from the living-dining space.
The courtyard brings in sunlight and ventilation, and is flanked by the main corridor on one side and the kitchen on the other. Located on the northern side of the house, it is used as a breakfast spot. “The dead wall provides privacy from the adjacent site and was constructed from granite and kota wastage from the site,” says Laiwala. A plumeria plant adds greenery as it sprouts from a handkerchief of a lawn whose periphery is asymmetrically defined by narrow strips of granite and kota.
The kitchen platform has been cast in concrete with a granite counter. Also on the ground floor, a glass-roofed shower carries forward the open-to-the-elements vocabulary. The shower itself is free-standing, positioned on a platform which is a foot away from the surrounding walls.
A spiral staircase to the floor above curls within a tight 6 ft. x 6 ft. space. “Without touching the walls, it is supported only at its base and at the ceiling. Made of wood and MS, we have crunched it to get a twist. Its curvature adds to its stability,” explains Asarawala. The master bedroom features wooden flooring, while the guest bedroom has a floating wardrobe.
The shutters of the wardrobes are wired glass and the clerestory windows above bring in light, while linear tubes at the junction of the wall and ceiling have customised wooden pelmets. The armchairs in both bedrooms were salvaged from a vendor of discarded furniture and all the soft furnishings are by Tarika Asarawala. In the master bath, a large mirror doubles the space, creating the illusion of two washbasins, sitting back to back. A monolithic granite base supports the basin.
