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Shirish Beri & Vinita Agge Gandhi’s Farmhouse (Nagpur)
This farmhouse is a great stress relieving haven from the outside stress ridden world. One feels a psychological transformation in one's inner space as soon as one experiences this house. The spaces here, with major help from a Banyan Tree and the Behada trees, have acquired a tranquil, harmonizing and a joyous ambience. This can happen only when we are able to connect to our roots, to Mother Nature. The design was made such that the man made spaces and the natural spaces blended with each other symbiotically with large openings, planters, water bodies, etc. Similarly all bathrooms have integral landscaped planters inside that make the bathing experience more refreshing. By breaking the rigid boundaries between the enclosed spaces and the open spaces, one is compelled to ask whether the house is in the garden or the garden is in the house.
FIRM NAME Shirish Beri & Associates
PRODUCTS/VENDORS
EDUCATION/AFFILIATION Architecture CEPT Ahmadabad Fellow of Indian Institute of Architects & Institute of Indian Interior Designers
Paint: Asian Paints Furniture: Abaca, Wicker World Furnishing: Titania, Restin, Fabindia Flooring: Indian Gold, Airolam, Vitrified Kitchen: Faber, Franke Electrical: Technolite, Osram, GM Air Conditioning: Daikin Arts and Artefacts: Abaca, Gaia, Transceforme
BUILT UP AREA 3500 sq.ft.
CONSULTANTS/CONTRACTORS
PRINCIPAL ARCHITECTS Shirish Beri
TEAM SIZE Varies from 10 - 40 people CONTACT 503, Skyville, University Ring Road, Kolhapur 416005, INDIA T +91 231-2650 2001 E shirish.beri@gmail.com W www.shirishberi.com
Interior Designer: Vinita Agge Structural: Arun Uttarwar Mechanical: G. J. Jiwani Electrical: Vinita Agge, Shirish Beri, Dulichand Chawla Civil: S. K. Construction, Sushant Bhuyan Landscape: Shirish Beri, Kavita Ahuja HVAC: G. J. Jiwani Plumbing: Shirish Beri & Associates PMC: Client managed
woodsy The old approach driveway to the farmhouse through the sheds of amenity functions was completely changed and taken from the other end through the sweet lime plantation. With this new meandering access, the farm house reveals itself only in the end as a surprise. On the left side, we see the landscaped court with the lap pool and the Behada tree at the other end. On the right is the semi open verandah as a precursor to the main living – dining spaces. Even while being inside the house, one do not loose contact with the beautiful outside environment. The great banyan is visible from almost all spaces in the house. It sometimes overlaps the roof and spreads onto the terraces. The doors and windows too harbor the reflections of the outside nature.
Top Left: The living and dining room overlooking the balcony Top Right: The entrance to the farmhouse Bottom Left: The view of the kitchen from the dining area
“We enter the house through a narrow covered passage placed on the North – South axis of the Banyan As one emerges from this passage, the Banyan reveals itself in all its glory, bang in front of you.”
Top Left: The entrance verandah from the court Centre Left: The banyan court Top Right: The behada tree by the pool and the sunset from the banyan Bottom Left: The banyan as seen from the bedroom Bottom Right: Master bedroom on the first floor
organic passageways
The living- dining spaces flow onto the banyan tree courtyard on one side and onto the party lawn garden on the other side. Both the bedrooms open out onto landscaped spaces outside as well as frame the banyan in their large square windows. The living dining space on the ground floor further rises up to merge with the overlooking indoor balcony of the master bedroom on first floor. Due to the shade of the banyan, the water bodies, thick stone masonry and the greens, it is noticed that the temperatures in this house are considerably lower than those outside. The landscaping avoids forced, formal, artificial layouts in order to create a more natural environment. The plant material too is selected and executed accordingly by Kavita Ahuja from Delhi, in harmony with the main theme. The interiors also have been designed to gel with the overall rustic character of this farmhouse by Vinita Agge from Nagpur. Natural and rough cut wood, hemp, cane and fabric is chosen to create a more organic, natural ambience. Rustic flooring and rough plaster further contribute to this feeling.
FLOOR PLAN
FLOOR PLAN 1. BANYAN TREE
9. UTILITY
2. BEHADA TREE
10. SITOUT
3. VERANDAH
11. LAP POOL
4. LIVING
12. FISH POND
5. DINING
13. MEDITATION
6. KITCHEN
14. COVERED PARKING
7. BEDROOM 1
15. BARBEQUE
8. BEDROOM 2
16. PARTY LAWN
the challenges “The major challenge that we took upon ourselves was to create a close, integral, symbiotic relationship between the architecture, interior and the surrounding nature. Large sliding folding doors, large fixed glass windows helped in connecting the inside with the outside especially with the Banyan tree.” - Shirish Beri. The existing trees helped us a lot in doing so. Further, the built form which was designed to almost grow from the soil helped in integrating the house with the landscape. Only the local yellow skinned stones were used majorly exposed on masonry walls. These natural boulders also created a very natural, spontaneous and maintenance free ambience. Even the courtyard flooring was done with these stones. Fortunately, all concerned seem to be happy with the end product especially the Gandhis who keep expressing their joy and gratitude for this creation.
the influences The inspiration was derived as soon as the architect visited the whole area for the first time. “I decided to make the huge Banyan the central focus around which the house would be designed on its three sides. The fourth side was kept open to strengthen the rapport between the Banyan and the Behada tree by a linear lap pool with a peripheral space defining landscaped mound and yard wall.” - Shirish Beri.
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS Shirish Beri and Ashish Bhonde TEXT CREDITS Shirish Beri
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