CREEPY CRAWLIES!!! 
Try as you might, you can’t keep these beauties out of your lives and homes in Goa! The idea is to co-exist with them. Simple mosquito screens in doors and windows go a long way in keeping them out of your immediate space. Our efforts of sustainability in our architecture and construction is an effort to preserve the beautiful biodiversity flourishing on the sites we built on while we can live in harmony with them. 

Living in Goa is all about looking closely and admiring the lovely colors and patterns that only nature can create. 

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The earth in Goa is a distinct red color due to a higher iron content hence the laterite stone which is local to Goa has the same red hue and a beautiful porous texture. We tend to feature exposed laterite stone walls often in our buildings and landscaping. We also use red terracotta roof tiles on our building roofs. We find that this allows our buildings to merge into the landscape.

RED TERRACOTTA ROOF TILES

In our building interiors, as a thumb-rule we tend to use a single floor finish throughout the house. Our preference has been in the use of natural stone and we tend to use locally available stones such as Kudupah, Kota, Tandoor and Jaisalmer. We often use the same stone in the interior and exterior of the rooms, sometimes varying the texture and finish of the indoor and outdoor stone for a subtle difference that can mostly only be felt under one’s bare feet.

In the building interiors, we also have a great preference for the use of cement finish or IPS. For us, this finish works very well with our desire for an earthy look and feel. An IPS finish feels smooth and cool to one’s touch and its natural weathering, slight patchiness and cracks mimics the imperfections found in nature.

(ABOVE) INDOOR-OUTDOOR FLOORING AT NAVOVADO

We used mirror polished Kota stone in the interior and the verandah in the central courtyard at Navovado. I really like the way the same flooring flows in and out. This accentuates the connection of the indoor-outdoor. I also feel that the faded green color of Kota stone works very well with the green landscape outside. The flow if very pleasing to the eye and not jarring with unnecessary boundaries. We took the Kota in a rough texture on top of the swimming pool edge to once again tie all the elements together into one unified composition. This goes back to our design philosophy, where we feel that the central focus in our houses in Goa must be on the connection with the landscape.

(LEFT) IPS FINISH IN PROGRESS AT THE HOUSE WITH THREE PAVILIONS

EXPOSED LATERITE WALLS

INDOOR-OUTDOOR FLOORING AT NIVIM

We used mirror polished Kudupah in the interiors and a rough Kudupah in the verandahs.

INDOOR-OUTDOOR FLOORING AT NAVOVADO

We used mirror-polished Jaisalmer stone and a similar color vitrified tile on the terrace. The connection was further highlighted by using Jaisalmer again in the exterior skirting.

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In-built seats are one of my favorite features to design across projects. In-built seats truly capture the ‘sussegad’ spirit of Goa, where afternoons are meant for relaxing in shaded verandahs, napping in the afternoon breeze and enjoying the company of friends and music in the evenings!

In-built seats offer transition spaces for indoor and outdoor living. These are all interpretations of the traditional ‘balcao’ that is so integral to Goan architecture and is seen present in the old Portuguese houses in Goa. The ‘balcao’ emphasizes the importance of enjoying nature and the good life. The images are examples of in-built seats across our projects.

Photography: Sanjeet Wahi

Balcao from front entrance at House of Three Pavilions

Outdoor seating at the House of Three Pavilions

References of traditional balcao

Outdoor seating at the House of Three Pavilions

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I was invited by India Today Home to create a Masterclass for their readers during this lockdown. I recorded a session detailing how one can adapt the principles of Japanese Minimalism in the design of one’s home.

I chose two real-life examples by two contemporary architects I admire- Bijoy Jain and Kengo Kuma- to demonstrate how this has been achieved in their projects. Watch the video here, that has been reposted from India Today Home. This was something I really enjoyed making. 

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We work hard to keep our buildings simple and our focus is on creating exemplary indoor-outdoor spaces that blend seamlessly together. We do this through carefully placed openings/ fenestrations that frame views and focus on the surrounding nature. 

Images from Navovado. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi

Images from Navovado. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi

Images from Navovado. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi

Image from our ongoing project House with Three Pavilions.

Image from our ongoing project House with Three Pavilions.

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With the goal to reconnect with nature, each element in our homes is designed to be harmonious with nature. When it comes to external paving, we tend to maximize permeable paving rather than creating a non-pervious concrete surface. This typology allows the rain water runoff from the site to be absorbed back into the ground hence allowing the underground aquifers to recharge and reducing the storm water run off from the site that burdens the municipal drainage system (when they exist) and flooding of low lying areas (when they don’t).

Verandah at Navovado. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

Front Elevation at House of Three Pavilions. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

Landscaping is an important aspect of the design process at Grounded. We usually populate the landscape with native local species to reduce water use for irrigation. Our landscape design aims to blur the lines between the two textures- the verandah flooring, the green cover, and the soil. We pick local species that can co-exist and help give the landscape a naturally verdant look, rather than an unnatural manicured one. 

Image of ongoing project House with Three Pavilions. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

Image of Navovado. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

Image of Navovado. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

Image of Navovado. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

Image of Navovado. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

Image of Navovado. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

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Bathroom at Neemrana Fort Palace. Photography by Anjali Mangalgiri.

The first picture is of the famous ‘Loo With a view' at the Neemrana Fort Palace. Some 25 years back, I had interned with an architect on a design job at the Neemrana Fort Palace. Along with the gorgeousness of the palace hotel, the super attention to every detail in design, construction and finishes, the 'loo with the view' left a deep impression on my mind. It illustrates the fun in architecture and represents the luxury of living away from the swarming crowds and making everyday moments grander, exciting, liberating and inspiring. The second and third picture is from Navovado and the fourth is the view from the bathroom at our ongoing project House with Three Pavilions.

The master bathroom in Navovado. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

A powder room in Navovado. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

An ongoing project in House with Three Pavilions. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

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Bathroom at Nivim. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

Bathrooms are such a neglected subject in the design-build process. To view this space as a sanctuary, a place to retreat to after the chaos of the workday has passed, that has been the inspiration behind designing the bathrooms in all our projects. The above image is a bathroom from Nivim with sunlight pouring in.

A powder room in Navovado. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

A guest bathroom in Nivim. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

The master bathroom in Navovado. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

The master bathroom in Nivim. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

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What does it mean to incorporate nature within our built-in environment? What does it mean to reconnect architecture with nature? What are the benefits and how does it impact our lives? 
Tune in today to hear Founder and Principal Architect, Anjali Mangalgiri at Grounded, an award-winning architecture and development firm based in India and Singapore talk about the power of reconnecting architecture and nature.

Listen to "Reconnecting Architecture with Nature w/ Anjali Mangalgiri" on Spreaker.

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