Home, Grown

Landscape and built-form become one in this ruled-by-nature Ahmedabad home designed collaboratively by Ruchi Shah Architects and Tattva.

Curated by: Rupali Sebastian
Photographs: Umang Shah; courtesy Rushi Shah Architects and Tattva

A pair of palms stand as sentinels next to The Floating Frame House, with a carpet of flowers at their base. The enclosed volumes spill into shaded verandahs and patios.

The site

The Floating Frame house is located on the outskirts of Ahmedabad city in a dense green rural area.

The brief

This house was built by the architects for their family — which also includes a structural engineer. Being nature lovers and wildlife photography enthusiasts, the brief to self, not surprisingly, revolved around creating a space that could indulge in scenic vistas of the surrounding verdure as well as the sky. Seeing the veritable oasis of lushness they’ve created, shows they’ve hit the bullseye!

Light paints an ever-changing artwork on the exposed brick walls. Full-height windows allow the inside and outside to become one.

The material palette

The built-form is simple, and allows the vibrancy of nature to play the lead role in this fecund narrative. Materials gravitate towards the rustic end of the spectrum, and include exposed concrete, exposed steel and mirror-polished kota, among others. The latter has a wonderful, cooling effect — most desirable in Ahmedabad’s hot, dry climate. Exposed concrete ceiling has an insulating roofing material. The roof and exposed brick walls subtly counterpoises the flooring. Each court is cladded with local Dhangadhra stone which also reflects an earthy feel of a farmhouse.

A wooden bridge spans the lotus pond that separates the dining space and a verandah.

The spatial flow

The rustic brick screen covering dense bamboo clusters creates a welcoming gesture with a glimpse of a farmhouse. The veranda negotiates the transition from the unbuilt to the built. Behind it lies the living area with a brick wall backdrop facing east sunlight. The living area, the dining space and the kitchen, which form the semi-private zone, are strung along one axis. These spaces are 12 ft high, and have full-height windows that provide an uninterrupted view of the garden, beginning with creepers that cascade down from the steel canopy.

Bedrooms are provided with private courts bound by Dhangadhra stone for a farmhouse feel. The mirror-polished kota balances the exposed concrete ceiling and brick walls.

Bedrooms with their private courts are orchestrated perpendicular to the semi-private zone. This allows morning as well as evening sunlight through the retained trees. The master bedroom opens to the view of the garden on the east and a court on the west. Banana plants and monstera create a tropical aura in the shower court.

The central verandah space is a floating platform surrounded by a lotus pond, connected by a wooden bridge to the dining area. Here, the family spends most of the time overlooking the soothing flora and fauna.

With 12-foot-high ceilings, the sense of space experienced outside continues in the enclosed areas as well.

The landscape

This home is more about the visceral than merely the visual, and the landscape includes a variety of vegetation: dense bamboo groves, a patch of xerophytes, floating lotus ponds, creepers, shrubs and trees… The idea was always to create architecture that was enveloped by greens, allowing the vibrancy of nature to play the lead role in a fecund narrative. In winters, sunbirds sip the nectar of the Kachnar, while in summers, peacocks feast on flower buds. The monsoons see frogs hanging out on lotus pads. Squirrels run on the fragrant madhumalti creeper; Indian koels fight for a share of the juicy palm fruits and monkeys never miss a chance to eat Gulmohar flowers. Altogether, all these tiny activities around the house are the real beauty of the place…

Fact file

Project: The Floating Frame House
Location: Ahmedabad
Area: 3,500 sq ft
Lead architects: Rushi Shah and Vidisha Shah
Landscape architect: Tattva Landscapes
Structural engineer: Bhoomi Consultants