The Palmyra House, by Studio Mumbai, is a vacation home in India that has its facades facing the breezy winds from the Arabian Sea. With a simple and yet intricate designed structure using Palmyra wood, the architect has rendered the outer facade of the house into two distinct layers. The extensive use of louvers and wooden slats combined with local craftsmen techniques are worthy of mention, and the house begins to take shape amidst the tall and dense coconut plantation farm offering some incredible eco-friendly design ideas. It was necessary to design a house that responds to the climatic differences, site and soil topography of the region.
001.tif
With two levels, the architect has employed the major family functions to the northern volume and the secondary activities to the southern side. It helps in maximising daylight entry into the house for living dining and cooking whereas the southern side retains the bedrooms facing the aqueducts and pool. The interior of the house is cast in quarried basalt stone, widely found in the northern regions of India and is known for its black matte finish that depicts a nostalgic feeling throughout the house. On the wood works, the architect has used traditional wood joints to complement the interior aura of the house.
007.tif
At the hindsight, the house more or less strikingly follows some of the traditional concepts of courtyard planning, with the plaza in-between. The Palmyra wooden louvers and the basic frame structure of the home are rooted to the pigment cement plaster at the ground, a sort of the stone plinth that prevents moisture from building up or entering the home. Wide windows and pathways help in passive circulation and prevent humidity and regulate the internal temperature of the house. A very well thought and profound design, the home is complete in all aspects perfect for a tropical summer vacation.
-
- 001.tif
-
- 007.tif
-
- 009.tif
-
- 025.tif
-
- 002.tif
-
- 004.tif
-
- 021.tif
-
- 008.tif
-
- 023.tif
-
- 010.tif
-
- 024.tif
Photos By : Helene Binet
