PROJECT: Navovado, Goa, India
ARCHITECTURE FIRM: Grounded
PRINCIPAL ARCHITECT: ANJALI MANGALGIRI
SITE AREA: 1000SQM
BUILT UP AREA: 4750 SQFT
PHOTOGRAPHY: SANJEET WAHI
COMPLETED: JUNE 2017
Navovado is located in idyllic Goa, flanked by old Goan houses and quiet village roads. This vacation home is designed as a private oasis; with a central courtyard that ensures privacy and connects the home to nature. Designed as a contemporary home that fits into the village landscape, the front façade has a low pitched tiled roof to merge with the scale of the neighboring homes. At the same time, the façade is contemporary with clean lines, a red front door and a composition of square pre-cast windows in exposed concrete.
The heart of the home lies in the large central courtyard that is an extension of the kitchen, living and dining space. The courtyard houses the swimming pool and provides a green private space to be enjoyed by all the residents of the house. The courtyard morphs in its use depending on the time of day and occasion. The guest bedrooms on the ground floor are designed as pavilions on either side of the courtyard, while the first-floor bedrooms have a large terrace overlooking the courtyard that connects the two levels.
This home is our ode to the masters in tropical architecture; Correa, Doshi and Bawa. The focus in on simple pitched roofs, white walls and the intersection between indoors and outdoors. The design for doors and windows were of great importance in this project, they frame views, provide seamless interaction with the outdoors and bring breeze and light into the interiors. The interiors are kept simple and timeless. The teak wood furniture, doors and windows take center stage among the white walls. Color is added through upholstered furniture. The rest of the interior palate is kept subtle and monochrome with grey cement finish, local green Kota stone and yellow Jaisalmer stone.
Note on Sustainability:
Navovado is a platinum rated green home by the Indian Green Building Council. Navovado harvests all of its roof rainwater and recharges the water well on site. The use of low-flow water fixtures further improves water efficiency. Focus on use of insulation on the roof, double-glazed glass, lowenergy use appliances, LED lighting and 100% hot water from Solar power makes this home extremely energy efficient. The structure is constructed using locally manufactured materials and materials with a high recycled content such as Laterite stone, Matti wood, Fly-ash brick and Slag cement. The garden is planted using native local species to reduce water use for irrigation. Finally, large openings allow for maximum daylighting and cross-ventilation, reducing the energy use for lighting and cooling.
Website: http://www.buildgrounded.com/
Instagram link: https://www.instagram.com/anjali.mangalgiri/
