The House with the Gabion / Spasm Design

Architects: Spasm Design
Location: Lonavala, India
Architects In Charge: Sanjeev Panjabi, Sangeeta Merchant
Area: 150.0 m2
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Photographix – Sebastian & Ira

Structural Engineer: Rajeev Shah
Landscape: A.Y. Ratiwalla
Gabion Wall Construction: Amit Redker

Text description provided by the architects. Pawna Lake, offers some killer vistas.

This country home starts with an 8 foot thick Gabion wall, which acts as a spine, the first marker which runs for 170 feet, from north to south.

All spaces in a one room thick linear organization attach themselves to the Gabion and a generous 10 foot wide verandah lined in local bricks becomes the movement and principal living zone.

The break in the Gabion becomes the point of entry, almost like slipping in discretely, into a densely planted court, confronted by a swing bed, framing the phenomenal view.

The innovation of the musket spouts and the full length Y-rain collector makes sure that the water shed by the roof is tamed and shot out away from the verandah. This is a high precipitation, catchment area.

The pool sort of drifts away from the verandah as a reflective mirror plane, pointing to the peak on the opposite shore.

Open showers, high rooms, terrazzo en-suites and brass lamps add to the overall frugal natural atmosphere. The Gabion has become overgrown and is ruinous and modern at once, in a way.

We, couldn’t see any other way of addressing the site.