UR-R-C, Coonoor

Soumitro Ghosh; Sahana M Bhat; Sahana M Bhatt; Saikat Ray; Siddhi Vashi; Pratik; Akshay Mahale; Fauwaz Khan; Moses Cheyadan; Nikhita; Sukriti; Anmol

The site is set near the natural forest and at the foothill of an adjoining local old family-owned tea estate is close to the city centre of Coonoor upper town. It is to be the weekend home for a retired couple from Bangalore, whose first home was designed by Nisha Mathew Ghosh earlier on, partner at Mathew and Ghosh Architects in a suburban gated community in the city of Bangalore.

Concept sketch, elevatons © MGA

Concept sketch, plan © MGA

This home, first designed as a singular entity fragmented itself with the fascinating opportunity of the central seating area which would overlook the setting sun at the horizon over distant mountains and forested valleys. This became the most important place of the home other than the sheltered areas. This is anchored close to an existing jamun tree and this becomes the heart of the project.

mga-urrc-2.jpg

The natural landscape of Coonoor, before the tea gardens came with the British, was forested and with wild grass as the profuse and natural undergrowth. Tea estates, due to generations of subdivision of land is becoming unviable for many estate owning families. And the increasing interest of people from outside Coonoor for weekend homes, in its clean and cool air, is resulting in estates being divided into lots for sale, while maintaining the tea estates for visual effect.

06-mga-urrc-drawing.jpg

mga-urrc-const-25.jpg

When this project was offered to us, it was a peculiar challenge of differentiation and continuity.

Firstly, what is the difference between a suburban home in the city of Bangalore and a weekend home 300 kilometres away, with distant vantage point views of the mountains, sunrise, and sunset and endless green. What is the difference between a home and an interim home in the hills?

Secondly, what is the difference when the first home is designed by a woman and the second is designed by a man, both partners at the same architectural design firm and for the same client?

So begins the journey into the design of the home in the Nilgiris / Blue Mountains wild grass. Other than capturing the mountain and valley views, creating a vantage viewpoint, making different blocks for living and for retiring at night, having common spaces for day living with sunlight; within it there were questions and things that inform this design.

These were questions of home, the common and the differences in the pattern of living in a weekend home. One that enjoys considerably different weather, a place where one would spend many more hours outdoors, watching the start and end of the day, the architectural language, the roof type, materials, finishes, their durability - the behaviour of the materials in the weather and the details.

See also …