This expansive home in Gujarat by Dipen Gada & Associates uses earthy materials to orchestrate a stunning play of light and shadows

The Nene residence in Vadodara is a minimal layout set along the east-west axis and surrounded by sprawling landscaped lawns. The 7,500 sq ft home is crafted by principal designer Dipen Gada and his team to keep out the heat, while ensuring good ventilation and plenty of sunlight.

The dramatic entrance—with the walkway floating on water that leads to a solid wooden door studded with an elaborate brass casted handle—brings to mind the stately doorways of castles enveloped by a moat.

From the almost Mediterranean entryway, the house spreads out on either side, housing four bedrooms and a living area in two cuboids with a Corten steel facade and a serene courtyard. Perforated bricks that pivot on fixed frames line the passage, creating shifting patterns of light on the floor and walls, while teasing one with glimpses of the verdant environs outside.