The Verandah Clubhouse

S+PS Architects

The project is situated within a larger housing scheme in Lonavala, Maharashtra. The site used to be a Parsi Sanitarium, which in its new avatar was to become community housing. Since the first day when we saw the existing structures, we were keen to reuse them as part of the project in some form. The buildings were simple tiled gabled roof structures with load-bearing walls and verandahs in the front. Over time they had been expanded with lean-to roofs at the back. These structures were nothing overly special but had good character, large volumes, and were made of resilient materials. They were representative of their time but more importantly along with the large mature group of trees around them had a wonderful vibe and atmosphere marking a special place on the whole site. The preservation of our past as markers of our history is important for future generations to see. Thus it was important to retain these structures and we proposed to the clients that we could convert this ensemble into the amenities wing with all public leisure and recreation facilities housed here. The rear extensions were not in good shape and it was decided to demolish them. We also realized that the remaining area was not adequate for all the programs required and would need an extension.