Architectural Portfolio - Shalom Sunny

‘lal koti’

Project Type Residential

Stage completed in 2020

Location Goa, India

Role Project Architect

In Association with MSSDesign, Goa

Photographs Harshan Thomson

The sharp slopes on site extend down to the river Zuari in the south and are flanked by lush tropical greens on its east and west with the approach road on its north. The plot itself though was largely barren other than a large, frail-looking mango tree that occupied the center. The result was a breathtakingly satisfying composition: off a merrily flowing river at the far end, enjoyed through an ideal arrangement of palm grooves, under which wooden canoes regularly get pulled up by hardworking fishermen while your eyes wander over the age-old fishing village among the periodic tintinnabulations of the village temple.

The very first ideas emerged when the visibly unhealthy-looking mango tree located right in the middle of the plot miraculously revived itself, as though finding a new purpose in life. This was certainly a good omen, which immediately brought the tree among the central ideas for the house.

The house is organized on two levels. The upper level has the living, dining, and kitchen and is accessible from the road level, while private quarters are on the lower level. Exposed laterite retaining wall is used to raise the side setback to the living room level to create accessible landscaped gardens on upper levels, this gives an illusion of the structure being single.