‘KAVIDHAN’ – where the poetry of life breathes……

Every living creature is reflection of ‘the elements of nature’, responsive and sensitive towards every littleness of the planet. Its belongingness to the place defines its core values and generates the ‘intangible ideas of living’.

As seventy percent of the crowded Indian context is bonded by common walls in old city fabric of traditional housings. It retains unique sense of belonging in response to climate, context and past. The need for expansion over generations has woven with a sense of freedom informally evolving and varying as per the individuals over the ages, but in an order to ‘respond the time & place’.

Today’s need and time has opened third dimension to reobserve dwellings beyond the only need to expand rather deeply think to respond the ‘values living within’.

‘KAVIDHAN’ a 120’X 11’X 47’ East-west niche carved between the two common walls in the densely populated rural place ‘vansda’, reveals on the edge of Maharashtra and Gujrat. A home for varied biodiversity. A place for community to live in coexistence with nature. The atmosphere of the place is serene and charged in the symphony of supernatural elements of nature (Earth, Sky, Water, Wind and Fire). The dimension fulfills this in- between-ness of man and nature creating a harmonic balance through five elements courts in the house. The memory of mountain creeks in the journey left behind beholds deep values of place, people and culture.

Urning this memory of experience into the feeling of space.

The chaotic chanting of the surrounding disables at the dawn as the early east rays enters, cleansing over the series of spaces tuning the water resonating within. The indirect east light illuminates the double height space above the kund at the heart of the house. Purifying the spaces by satisfying the principles of Jainism.

The porosity of breathing spaces make feel the west prevailing breezes from the court filled with aromatic fragrance making it an inviting space to the house. It activates in the morning to collect flower for rituals and children’s pondering with grandparents awakening them with words of experience and guidance under shade making a meaningful space of learning for generations. In evening the family together enjoys in the comfort of cool breeze, acting like an otla- a semi open threshold of inside and outside. These spaces begin to expand in multiple ways as the user imagine to live with it over time, responding each season to dwell with.

The internal section of the house creates the external ideas of living in the old context. The five staircases in the house elevates parallel up to the court, forming a pause to interact at every level in an ease, creating memories in togetherness. The playful plinths (earth court) interwoven becomes a part of children overlooking the kitchen maximizing its use for multiple activities. The kitchen, dining space, water court and earth court are highly interactive core and social throughout the day camouflaging each other’s values in performing the activities of the day. Simply grounding themselves at the dining as a ritual of gratitude in the presence of natural energies around. The bedrooms overlook the central space while the core offers an open-ended vision up the sky keeping eye control over spaces.

Each space responds & dedicates each one character’s stage of life and their true nature making it more valuable and very own. The multidimensional courts and spaces sculpted in-between grey washed walls creates inquisitiveness, yet offers a ‘freedom of choice’ to each individual let ‘deeply ponder within and without’, making it a constant space of solace.

The external response to the immediate context and climate with chapru-sloping roofs and balconies to create a dialogue with the neighbourhood. The aagashi- (terrace) is the place of special importance to the state for celebrating seasons throughout the year, summer- cool breezes and yearly household activities, rains- being part of nature, winter- kite flying festival. The terrace garden is accompanied with the mezzanine of the west master bedroom acting like an extended space to meditate and work in solitude.

More of seen its dynamically unseen story of the house to witness is an open-ended reel of experiences and also of its completeness in the subtle contrast of light and dark. The contraction and expansion of spaces in series avails the explorer to disappear and reappear throughout the house in infinite opportunities of creating memories and experiences. The monolith appearance is a silent poetry awakening and resembling to the spiritual values reverberating in the spaces.

House without a form- just atmosphere.