SITE:

The project is located in the village of Mandwa, Alibag close to the jetty with views of the Arabian Sea and the skyline of Mumbai beyond. It is a site approximately 4 acres with a relatively flat topography typical of the rice fields that abound in the area.

 

CONCEPT:

Our approach was to create a series of villas that share similar characteristics but are subtly distinctive in their overall mass, plan layout and materiality. The site layout emerges from the irregular plot geometry which resulted in villa plots that were also non-rectilinear. A unifying element is the use of site landscape that extended to the terraces and facade of the villas.

Villa massing allows for living and entertainment rooms to take advantage of garden and pool at ground level while the bedrooms at upper floors open onto large terraces. This resulted in a stepped ziggurat building mass with equal area dedicated to interior and exterior on each level.

 

The interior takes this concept further using slight shifts in the ground and floor planes to create spatial volumes that expand and contract based on function. The living room, for example, steps down 18” from the ground floor and it's roof steps up 24” from the typical 11'-0” of the ground floor resulting in a space that has 14'-6” ceilings and is open on all sides in plan. The living room is flanked on one side by the pool that allows swimmers to be at eye level with people sitting on couches separated by the infinity edge of the pool over which water flows. The dining room is raised 18” from the ground floor creating a more intimate space and the full height window is perched above the pool offering a raised perspective that contrasts with the immersive relationship between the pool and living room.

These subtle shifts in volume, room transparency and exterior landscape, along with the use of material that creates undifferentiated exterior and interior conditions shapes the occupant experience.

 

MATERIALITY:

The project is constructed with a typical RCC frame and slab system. Infill walls are created with lightweight cement blocks. The primary finish materials are glass, wood and natural stone. Apostrophe A+uD has designed major interior casework and lighting and many of the furniture elements.