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Recycled Gold House/OutOfTheBox I Eco-Architects
- area:
2900 sq. ft.
Year:
2023
-
Chief Architect:
Prasad Tambay, Harshita Tofakani
Text description provided by the architect. Driven by a strong desire to reunite with his family, our client approached us with a request to build a family home on his ancestral farmland in Vikramgad, Palghar, Maharashtra. The land has existing rice plantations and a variety of fruit trees such as figs, mangoes and other local species. Observing the rapid transformation of the surrounding villages, with traditional homes being replaced by high-maintenance modern buildings unsuited to the local tropical climate, our client sought to reconnect with his roots after returning from abroad. His goal was to become part of a tight-knit rural community, embrace the natural surroundings of his hometown and develop a sense of belonging to his ancestral land.
This provided an ideal opportunity to develop a project characterized by ecologically sensitive design and materials, while also promoting community engagement. We aimed to minimize damage to the natural environment during construction and to revitalize local craftsmen’s traditional skills by reusing indigenous materials. Central to the concept is the construction of the house using handmade adobe blocks from earth sourced from the site and its surroundings, serving as the main load-bearing element of the house. This approach not only provides local craftsmen with valuable training for future sustainability projects, but also promotes acceptance of natural building methods within the community, revitalizing traditional sustainability practices in the process.
The project’s name, Recycled Gold House, comes from our commitment to recycling materials from demolition waste, echoing the sentiment of passing down heirlooms from generation to generation, a common practice in Indian tradition. When some of the old Vada style buildings around Mumbai were being demolished, we found that the hewn basalt disposed of at these sites was an ideal material for the load-bearing foundations of the houses and for the leeward side wall bricks of the houses. During our survey of the village we noticed that homes were being demolished to build RCC replacements. These houses provided us with old seasoned wood that found new uses in our projects as decorative and roofing members. Some of these houses also provided us with a range of clay tiles for the roof and a range of ornate doors and windows for reuse. We turned to a local granite warehouse for crushed granite scraps to create mosaic floors in the living space, while pebbles sifted from the soil during construction were used for non-slip mosaics in wet areas of the bathroom.
Our affection for handcrafting has led us to carry out many successful experiments on site. A notable innovation was the design of the adobe mold, which contained a sleeve for concealing electrical conduits, allowing us to expose the internal adobe walls. These conduits terminate in switch boxes crafted on site from recycled teak wood. Additionally, we repurposed old wooden logs scattered across farmland to create intricate live edge features within the house. These include kitchen countertops, master bathroom vanities and living room columns; each imbued with a sense of history and connection to the land. Cartwheels from the village are incorporated into the leeward height of the house as a perforated design element.
Taking into account the harsh local climate of hot summers and strong monsoons, the house was designed with two slender wings on the east-west axis. This ensures that exposure to bright sunlight is minimized to reduce heat gain while maximizing ventilation. The 9-inch-thick load-bearing adobe walls provide the necessary thermal mass needed to insulate the interior, creating a significant difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures. The wide overhangs of the sloping roof and wraparound balconies play an important role in ensuring safety from weathering, helping to extend the life of this earthen structure. The interior roof height is 26 feet, allowing hot air to escape through the mesh gable framing, promoting natural ventilation. In addition, the balconies and lotus ponds surrounding the house act as a buffer, cooling the incoming breeze and providing a comfortable indoor environment.
The house is divided into two wings, public and private, planned around a fruiting fig tree and connected by a central balcony. The common wing features an open-plan living area that blends seamlessly into the spacious kitchen. The dining ritual is designed around floor seating, reflecting the preference for country living. The balcony is an ample overflow area for entertaining guests. The client’s and parents’ bedrooms, as well as the master and guest bathrooms, are located in the private wing. These bathrooms enjoy skylight-viewed courtyards, infusing greenery into the space. Both wings feature open decks on the ground floor with interconnecting balconies, providing ample space for a variety of activities while promoting connection with the natural environment. The home strives to achieve a delicate balance between indoor and outdoor spaces, allowing residents to fully enjoy the rich beauty of farm life, while preserving tradition and respecting the environment.
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