Located within a two-acre mango orchard in Babariya village, adjoining Gir National Park in Gujarat, India, Parallel Territories by The Local Crew explores how architecture can occupy an ecologically sensitive landscape without interrupting its existing patterns of use. Wildlife regularly crosses the property towards a water source also used by local cattle herders. Rather than redirecting these movements, the project treats their continuity as a fundamental design constraint, establishing separate but visually connected territories for people and wildlife.
Building above the landscape
The 6,500-square-foot building, accompanied by a 1,000-square-foot swimming pool, is elevated above the sloping limestone terrain on just eight reinforced-concrete columns. This limited footprint reduces physical interference with the ground and allows established movement routes to continue beneath and around the structure.
A predominantly steel structural system was selected for its dry construction methodology, reducing intensive wet works on the remote site while facilitating assembly and future maintenance. Twenty-one-foot cantilevers extend from either side of the central structure, allowing substantial occupied areas to project over the landscape without additional foundations.
Local materials and reduced site disturbance
Material choices reinforce the strategy of minimising disturbance. Rajula stone, sourced locally, is used for paving, while stone excavated during construction is returned to the landscape rather than removed as waste. Steel, glass, and stone form a restrained material palette that distinguishes the intervention from its natural surroundings rather than attempting to imitate them. Large operable glazed panels provide extensive views while enabling the interiors to remain closely connected to changing weather, vegetation, and wildlife.
Designing around ecological movement
The site remains free of rigid boundary walls, maintaining its physical permeability to wildlife. External lighting is kept subtle and directed downwards to limit unnecessary illumination that could disturb or attract animals at night. Drainage infrastructure is similarly positioned to protect the building while avoiding unnecessary disruption to the terrain.
The architecture is organised around a T-shaped plan, with communal spaces and terraces elevated above the ground. This separation allows occupants to observe the surrounding landscape without occupying established wildlife routes.
Proximity without intrusion
Parallel Territories frames sustainability primarily through non-interference. Minimal foundations, dry construction, local and reused site materials, controlled lighting, and an elevated footprint collectively reduce the building’s physical impact. Rather than isolating visitors from Gir’s ecology, the project creates proximity while maintaining separation.
