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AARANYAK
by Artha Studio

made with love in India

AARANYAK | ARTHA STUDIO 3

Project Location : Grape County, Nashik, Maharashtra

Architectural Firm : Artha Studio

Principal Architects : Saurabh Malpani

Project Team : Saisharanya Satoor, Gayatri Kodre,
Vignesh Dhanubal, Aditi Agashe,
Aruna Chavan

Built-up Area : 2,100 sq. ft.

Plot Area : 17,200 sq. ft.
No. of Rooms :4
No. of Car Parks :3
Facing : South
Vaastu Compliance : Yes
Project Timeline : February 2018 - October 2020
Project Budget : Rs. 2000 per sq. ft. for Built-up
Rs. 800 per sq. ft. for Landscaping

“The house covers only 1/8 th of the total plotkeeping in

mind the responsibility ofminimizing built footprint.”
AARANYAK | ARTHA STUDIO 5

Introduction
Principally envisaged as a weekend
home for a family of four - a couple and
their children, this house also needed
to culminate as a retirement home for
the couple in the years to come.
AARANYAK | ARTHA STUDIO
Placement on site
The site slopes from south-west to
north-east, with roads along the
highest levels. Covering only 1/8 th
of the total plot, the L shape of the
house is positioned at the topmost
7
corner, derived from the need for
easy accessibility and a desire to
create a micro-ecosystem of the
land expanse to the north.
 AARANYAK | ARTHA STUDIO 9

l l

Site
The experience of Aaranyak
begins from the road-facing entry
at the south face of the plot.  A
burnt brick staircase flanking a
brick façade leads into the house,
distilling a warmth through brick
patterns reminiscent of a vernacular
architectural landscape.
site
site plan
plan LEGEND:
LEGEND: c. Gazebo
a. Entrance Porch c. Gazebo e. Outdoor Kitchen g. Generator Area i. Lotus Pond k. Lawn
a. Entrance Porch e. Outdoor Kitchen g. Generator Area i. Lotus Pond k. Lawn
b. Parking d. Outdoor Seating f. Rainwater Harvest Tank h. Vegetable Garden j. Amphitheatre l. Servants Court
b. Parking d. Outdoor Seating f. Rainwater Harvest Tank h. Vegetable Garden j. Amphitheatre l. Servants Court
AARANYAK | ARTHA STUDIO 11

Built-Unbuilt
This transition from the built to the
unbuilt is also a subtle transformation
of experience of nature,from the
comfort of a dwelling to the freedom
of being in touch with the earth.
AARANYAK | ARTHA STUDIO 13

Upper Level Plan Interior Materials

LEGEND: The master room to the left with warm
wooden flooring, and the living spaces
1. Entrance Verandah to the right with cool kota floors invite
2. Living / Guest Room
3. Living Room with Indian one to meditate on the peaceful expanse
Seating outside. The walls have been finished in
4. Dining and Kitchen putty, allowing the house to breathe and
5. Green Terrace
6. Master Bedroom age gracefully.
7. Toilet Master Bedroom
8. Verandah
9. Pool
20. Outdoor Shower
GABLE HOUSE
AARANYAK | ARTHA
| UA LAB
STUDIO 15

Dip Pool
The dip pool at the entrance foyer is
devoid of chemicals so it’s drained
water further gravitates to irrigate the
landscape. It is lined with red IPS to
give it an earthy hue and so, it follows
the colour palette of the house.
AARANYAK | ARTHA STUDIO 17

Lower Level Plan Lower Level Planning

LEGEND: Accessing the children’s room below
is a choice between using a monkey
1. Entrance Verandah ladder inthe living room cut-out or
2. Living / Guest Room
3. Living Room with Indian making use of the stone amphitheater
Seating to descend down and out.
4. Dining and Kitchen
5. Green Terrace
6. Master Bedroom
7. Toilet Master Bedroom
8. Verandah
9. Pool
20. Outdoor Shower
GABLE HOUSE
AARANYAK | ARTHA
| UA LAB
STUDIO 19

30-60-90 Views
The South and West facade are essentially
like a fortress. So a few punctures, like a
gunpoint, are designed to look outside
towards the entries. Pertaining to their
dimensions, these windows are known to
be 30-60-90 windows.
GABLE HOUSE
AARANYAK | ARTHA
| UA LAB
STUDIO 21

Fenestration
Salvaged wood in the fenestrations
are coated with non-toxic teak and
linseed oil. Copper cladding is chosen
as a water-resistant material and an
added layer of protection.
GABLE HOUSE
AARANYAK | ARTHA
| UA LAB
STUDIO 23

Entrance Door
The entrance door is a pause with the
materials,an abstraction of the site
plan manifested as a Jali door. The
external brick pavingfollows into the
foyer, until one discovers the vast
spread of the site’s green cover.
 GABLE HOUSE
AARANYAK | ARTHA
| UA LAB
STUDIO 25

on

North Elevation
Pools of natural light flooding from North and
East side into the interiors via windows, skylights
and courts negate the need for artificial lighting
during the day, while the cool breeze entering the
house from the northern landscape eliminates air
conditioning requirements altogether.
 AARANYAK | ARTHA STUDIO 27

levation

Servants
Court Below
LEGEND:
South Elevation
The L shape1.of
Entrance
the houseVerandah
faces its back to the
south and 2. Living
west / Guest
roads Room
blocking the external noise
3. privacy
and offering Living Room
to thewith
home.Indian
Minimal indirect
openings towards
Seatinghere ensure protection from
harsh weather conditions.
4. Dining and Kitchen
5. Green Terrace
6. Master Bedroom
AARANYAK | ARTHA STUDIO 29

East Elevation
The inner skin are plastered with ghotai (IPS),
creating a soft neutral backdrop to the landscape.
The gabled roof is a steel portal structure with
Mangalore roofing tiles, further insulated with
a layer of flat terracotta tiles on the inside,
enhancing the interior aesthetics.
 AARANYAK | ARTHA STUDIO 31

Section
Section through the U.G.W.T.
 AARANYAK | ARTHA STUDIO 33

LEGEND:
1. Entrance Verandah
2. Living / Guest Room
3. Living Room
4. Dining and Kitchen
5. Green Terrace
7. Toilet Master Bedroom
9. Pool
10. U.G.W.T.
11. Children’s Room
12. Toilet Children’s Room
13. Parking
14. Outdoor Kitchen
15. Caretaker’s Room
Section
16. Generator Area
17. Vegetable
Section through Garden
the Servant’s court
18. Lawn
19. Amphitheatre
AARANYAK | ARTHA STUDIO 35

Section
Section through the living room
MEETHI-MISHTI
AARANYAK NU MATI
| ARTHA GHAR | SFREABLU ARCHITECTS
STUDIO 37

Conclusion
With a keen discernment on finances, the
design of the home had to personify every
inhabitant’s personal interest, whether
classical singing or star-gazing.
AARANYAK | ARTHA STUDIO 39

Unique Material Application

Roofing: Locally sourced Mangalore tiles and Teracotta tiles

Facade Materials Cladding: Locally sourced Burnt Bricks
01 / burnt brick Windows: Salvaged wooden windows from Thakur and Ramlal Sutar
02 / IPS
03 / putty 01 02 03 Lighting: Tulip Corporation from Prakash Lights, Nashik
Bath Fittings: Kohler from Deepgiri, Nashik
Sanitaryware: Kohler from Deepgiri, Nashik
Carpets & Rugs: From Indian Classic
Furnishings: From Indian Classic
Furniture: Designed wooden furniture from Thakur and Ramlal Sutar
Hardware: From J Eranna and Sons, Pune
Wooden Flooring: Salvaged wood flooring from Thakur and Ramlal Sutar
Colour: Asian Paints
Air Conditioning: Panasonic

Flooring Materials
04 / kota stone
05 / random rubble
Key Contributors
06 / salvaged wood 04 05 06

Structural: Er. Sanjay Ratnaparkhi

Civil: Er. Prashant Sakhala
Landscape: Artha Studio

Photo Credits Hemant Patil

Fenestration Materials
07 / corten steel
08 / salvaged wood 07 08
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