House at Panshet
Architects: _OPOLIS Architects
Built on a site with a challenging terrain and panoramic views, this house exploits the potential of the site to create a compelling inside-out experience. Sitting eloquently on the site, the building is a play of contrasts between the heaviness of the structure and the seeming lightness of the roofs. The spaces within resemble platforms and pavilions connecting with the immediate and the distant landscape. The material and sensory qualities of the architecture enable the residents to indulge in the many changing moods through time and seasons. Detailed with precision and care, the simple palette of materials that compose the interiors of the house privilege the luxury of space above material indulgence. An interesting pattern of movement unveils the views sequentially; further framed by the floating roofs and the extending floor planes. The carefully designed section of the house takes advantage of the slopes of the terrain to break the scale. In the post-liberalisation economy, numerous indulgent projects represent the architecture of aspirations with the weekend homes inevitably becoming a dominant part of contemporary visual culture of the architecture in India. However, for a typology that has very few resource constraints, it becomes important for architecture to assume a larger challenge. The House at Panshet by _OPOLIS Architects enriches the experience of the inhabitants through sensitively designed spaces that are built with care and restraint and therefore, it is a Commendation Project in The Merit List.
Images & Drawings: courtesy _OPOLIS Architects