The Open house

The Open House / MODO Designs
• Project Name - The Open House
• Architect or Architecture Firm – Ar. Arpan Shah / MODO Designs
• Office Website - www.mododesigns.co.in
• Contact Email - info@mododesigns.co.in
• Completion Year - Jan 2016
• Built Area (m2 or sqft). - 3600 sq ft
• Project Location - behind Karnavati Club, off S G Highway, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India)
• Photographer – Radhika Pandit

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
This weekend house is meant as a gathering and retreat place for a Gujarati family which is located in a posh western locality of the Ahmedabad. The design brief given by the owner was to develop the place more like a small resort. Keeping this essential brief in mind, the house is designed as two blocks separated by open to sky space. The idea was to allow natural elements flow into the blocks and engage the users with these elements and thereby connect them to nature.
The front block has the living, dining and verandah space which are more public in nature and are interpreted by glass pavilion. The rear block houses the private bedroom spaces and kitchen and hence more stark and introverted in expression. The sense of openness and flow prevails, to have inviting resort like feel.
The glass pavilion is shield by the harsh sun through a deep verandah in south, an entry vestibule slab in east and through a wood screen in west. The pool located in south west part causes cool breeze to flow into the living and bedroom spaces.
The house is intended to be informal in nature eliminating false ceiling in internal spaces and keeping exposed RCC slabs. The flooring in living and bedroom spaces is river washed Indian granite while all toilet has natural granite, slate and marble. The external walls have Indian granite cladding in certain portions and stone granule plaster. The internal walls explore direct paint without putty to have characteristic rustic look. The concern of using the waste is also explored in couple of toilets where granite waste is used to create random patterns.