Project: Sitish Parikh Farmhouse
Architects: Dipen Gada and Associates
Location: Vadodara, India
Area: 45.208 sf
Year: 2023
Photographs by: Tejas Shah
This farmhouse near Aampad, on the outskirts of Baroda, stands as a harmonious blend of simplicity and creativity, responding intimately to both climate and site. As a second home for a prominent developer, the design seamlessly connects with nature, embracing sunlight through dynamic perforated screens and lively courtyards that cast playful shadows.
Set on a squarish plot with an orchard, the one-floor farmhouse channels the charm of countryside houses, featuring bricks, sloping roofs, and Mangalore tiles. The ‘L-shape’ layout divides public and private spaces, centered around a courtyard with a captivating swimming pool. The journey unfolds with surprises, from a tall concave brick jaali to the delicate entry foyer.
The interiors, adorned in soothing white, utilize indigenous materials and semi-covered courtyards, ensuring a constant connection with the picturesque outdoors. This farmhouse is a testament to thoughtful design, transforming simplicity into an enchanting haven.
This is a farmhouse. It is a humble residence that has responded to the climate and site. It is a fun fact that the house is both an inward and outward-looking house at the same time. One of the USPs of the project would be that it connects well with the most playful element of nature – the sun through its dynamic perforated screens and courtyards that animate the spill-out spaces with playful shadows throughout the day. The site situates itself on the outskirts of Baroda near a village named Aampad.
Client brief. The client happens to be one of the prominent developers in the city. He approached us with a very simple requirement of building a second home where they could unwind and relax in the lap of nature. We were fortunate enough to have had a client who trusted us enough from past experiences and thus gave us complete freedom to exercise our creativity.
Plot layout and challenges. The plot is a squarish piece of land with a total area of roughly 43,600 sq. Ft. With a beautiful parcel of land with an existing orchard and a minimal client requirement of simply 2 bedrooms and a kitchen and dining, we had the opportunity to sprawl around and limit the house to just one floor. Since it was a farmhouse, the effort was to lend it a character similar to countryside houses. Thus, bricks, sloping roofs, and manglore tiles are used.
Exterior and planning. Its green setting further encouraged us to plan spaces in a manner that allows connection with the outside at all times, inviting ample sunlight along with it. The house is thus done in an ‘L -shape,’ dividing the public and private spaces into separate wings with a central courtyard-like space that is held by a small swimming pool in one corner. The space is demarcated by a tall frame made in exposed brick. The overall experience of journeying towards the house is quite fascinating, filled with surprises at various stages. The first veil appears in the form of a tall concave wall done in a manner that makes it look like a gorgeous brick jali, lending it an opportunity to render the cobbled floor with engaging Sciography. Honestly, it is quite an element of suspense.
As one moves behind the brick jaali, along the curve, a very delicate but ornate box in casted antique jaali waits to invite you. This is the entry foyer to the house. Soon after entering it, one is astounded by the view that one encounters. An ambulatory on either side covered in a sloping roof and a stark blue pool amidst the greens instantly engaged one. The house is surrounded by a picturesque garden with a small orchard on one corner of the site. It nests a tiny circular seating area under it. There is another Terminalia court on the other side of the garden and a jogging track along the periphery of the plot.
Interior. The interiors are in an abundant and soothing white with the use of indigenous materials like cane, lime plaster, brick courtyards, and beautiful terrazzo. All spaces have a muted monochromatic character to them, occasionally accentuated by a few bright paintings or loose pieces of furniture like consoles and chairs with vibrant upholstery here and there. All spaces in the house, the living- dining, and both bedrooms, have a semi-covered courtyard with subtle greens and brick jaali as a spill-out space on one end. The ambulatory circumscribing of the exteriors is another spill out on the other end of each of these rooms. Thus even though one is inside the house, there is a constant connection with the outdoors at all given times.
-Dipen Gada and Associates
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