In And Around The Trees

In the outskirts of Ahmedabad, a weekend home designed by Modo Designs and built around several existing trees, addresses security issues successfully. In this two-bay home, open living spaces seem to merge seamlessly with the surrounding landscape.

- Devyani Jayakar

“There are no buildings visible from this home,” says Arpan Shah of Modo Designs. Located 10 kms from the outskirts of Ahmedabad, a weekend home was to be built on a plot of uncultivated land.

The client’s brief stated that they would frequently entertain groups of up to 50 people, maybe even with two couples staying overnight. Neem and chikoo trees dotted the space, which Arpan immediately decided to retain. “We opted for the feel of a traditional Indian home with a courtyard and many semi-open spaces.” Designer Megha Vadodaria of PVDRS, who was appointed when the shell of the home was coming up, was able to review positions of the doors and windows so as to serve the core concern of openness for public areas.

After the initial decision to retain all the trees was taken, it became important to map their locations accurately so as to plan a layout around them. “To contain ourselves as well as wrap around the trees, we shaped an organisation of two bays which sit parallel to each other with a courtyard running their length, separating as well as connecting them,” says Arpan.

The bay at the entrance contains a semi-open vestibule with an old neem tree, flanked by a parking space on one side and a guest bedroom on the other. The bedroom opens onto the central courtyard on one side, while a cut-out in another wall frames a chikoo tree backed by a dead wall.