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    • Homes

    A Gujarat home by Doro is carved from the earth, untouched by winds of the city

    SEP 17, 2024 | By Pratishtha Rana
    Approaching the landscape through a valley in the north, you can walk along the curved cement steps along the slope to reach the entrance; Photograph by Ishita Sitwala
    Along the West face of the house runs a cantilevered timber and steel deck. The central dining space forms the open entrance bay; Photograph by Ishita Sitwala
    The rammed earth walls and the canopy of the neem trees conjure a semblance of enclosure on the deck, which extends Southward into a semi-open space; Photograph by Ishita Sitwala
    The West face of the house overlooks the lawn; Photograph by Ishita Sitwala
    The house blends into the landscape owing to the materiality of its humble form; Photograph by Ishita Sitwala

    A far-flung village on the outskirts of Vadodara hosts a paradisial rammed earth house. Here, an existing cavity in the land blanketed by neem trees was a caving spot for outdoor afternoon naps, now transformed into a mini amphitheatre. Over the years, the topography of the site has been gently shaped by the rolling flow of water, The soil and the trees have always been in an incessant conversation with human ecology laced with it all. With a 1,500 sq ft area, the house realised by Naomy Parikh of Doro sits on a four-acre farmland plot in Jaspur village.

    Entranced by a photograph of an earth wall with a ceramic vase in the foreground, the homeowners intended for a mud house. “They sought a single-occupancy dwelling among trees. Their requirements included a minimal footprint, ample privacy, an open atmosphere and expansive decks and outdoor spaces for social gatherings,” says Doro’s founder Naomy Parikh. 

    Approaching the landscape through a valley in the north, you can walk along the curved cement steps along the slope to reach the entrance; Photograph by Ishita Sitwala

     

    Looking towards the dining room and kitchenette from the living space reveals the yellow oxide floors that complement the tonality of the wooden rafters. Using built-in furniture, the architecture of the home maximises space and reduces the need for maintenance; Photograph by Ishita Sitwala

     

    A view inside reveals the exposed rammed earth walls, built-in seats and oxide-finished beams and floors. Rafters conjured out of reclaimed wood from ship breaking yard and mango crates draw the eye upwards; Photograph by Naomy Parikh

    Where the oldest tree stands
    Curved cemented steps that run parallel to the land’s slope navigate to the higher point of the site, which becomes the home’s entrance. Although, you’re physically inside, the outdoors viscerally still linger around in many corners of the space. At the heart of it stands the oldest, largest tree, around which we crafted an otla, an elevated platform that acts as the informal dining space,” tells Naomy. 

    On entry, the elevated deck connects to the ground right into the dining area, extending out to a cantilevered deck amidst the dense trees on the east. “On the right is a compact living room and on the left is a small kitchenette, between which opens up the door to the bedroom, further opening into a linear bathroom space,” Naomy guides us through the house.

    The skylight in the roof floods the dining space with light that filters in through the canopies; Photograph by Naomy Parikh

     

    A long wall divides the bedroom and the common spaces adding a layer of visual privacy and housing the deck; Photograph by Ishita Sitwala

     

    Along the West face of the house runs a cantilevered timber and steel deck. The central dining space forms the open entrance bay; Photograph by Ishita Sitwala

    Living amidst but away
    Playing with the idea of access and inaccessibility is a long wall that becomes a visual dichotomy between the privacy of the bedroom and the other common areas. While the covered verandah in the south extension here assumes its outdoor-forward character.

    The conscious strokes of material on the home lead one to the dwell on the delicate strength it brings about on the earthen canvas. With the remote character of the site and limited access to electricity, Doro’s decisions on constructing the house is quintessentially underlined by rammed earth. Look up and you’ll find rafter-style ceiling, “With wooden planks from used crates, which was roofed by Mangalore tiles,” says Naomy. Other elemental feature embedded in the space is the carved-out skylight that continues dialogue with the tree canopy outdoors. Throughout, these processes have been mastered with skilled artisans from Tamil Nadu. Nature co-existing with the built structures and the dwellers living in synchrony with the changing ecology and seasonal patterns — new-age homes indeed demand a responsive approach to rethink and redo the sketch board for designing spaces that absorb, reflect and sustain with time.

    The rammed earth walls and the canopy of the neem trees conjure a semblance of enclosure on the deck, which extends Southward into a semi-open space; Photograph by Ishita Sitwala

     

    Cantilevering outwards, the timber steel deck forms a seating under the neem trees in the axis of the entrance and the dining area

     

    The relationship between the land outside and the living space inside is blurred through a play of materials, colours and rustic textures

    Scroll to see more glimpses of this home in Gujarat…

    Due to the landscape’s natural topography, this depression acted as a preferred spot for an afternoon siesta. The architects fashioned this space into a kund or a mini amphitheatre, inviting moments of pause and activity; Photography by Stavan Bhagora

     

    Towards the East is the powder room while the cantilevered deck extends towards the West; Photograph by Ishita Sitwala

     

    In the eastern extension of the house, rammed earth walls run parallel to the east-west axis emphasising the linearity of the form

     

    The West face of the house overlooks the lawn; Photograph by Ishita Sitwala