Small Multi-Family Farmhouse by Studio Lab in India

Project: Small Multi-Family Farmhouse Architects: Studio LAB Location: India Area: 746 sqm Photography by: Photographix

Small Multi-Family Farmhouse by Studio Lab

The Small Multi-Family Farmhouse is a modern home located in a remote mountainous area with views of the Sahyadri hills in Mulshi and a lake. The project was developed by Studio LAB and offers stunning surrounding landscapes.

The villa 'Small Multi-Family Farmhouse' is situated on a remote hillside with views of the Sahyadri hills in Mulshi and a lake. It is a home for a family and their friends to immerse themselves anew in the hillside surroundings around Mumbai. The spaces are designed as a series of possible events; layered, connected, scalable, with an element of discovery.

This plot has multiple viewpoints and extreme weather conditions. The roof design strategy provides protection from monsoon rains and sun; freeing the enclosure forms. The house enclosures are a composition of angles based on various plot features and the eccentricity of its owners. Three single-slope roofs made from soft steel are tilted in different directions, creating specific conditions: a breezy yet dry corner, a sky gap above the entrance, and a sheltered monsoon pathway.

Steel mesh roofs float above various internal and external spaces. The shipyard team built the steel roof on-site by hand. Exposed concrete columns, made using individual formwork, support the floating roofs at strategic nodes of the mesh. The column placement allows for large roof overhangs that protect the terrace and interior spaces. Oriented along specific axes, the spaces are surrounded by large glass and stone walls.

Three separate constructed blocks were built along the slope, minimizing retaining walls. The central block is a double-height volume connected to the western block's upper floor and eastern block's lower floor. The blocks are connected at the same level, creating collective public spaces. The terrace is a connecting plane between the first floor of one residential block and the ground floor of another, with garden, pool, and driveway. This construction method enabled creating spaces both functionally and imaginatively. The external stone walls were clad with four types of grey slate tiles. Unfinished plates, roughly processed, polished, and mixed slate sheets were arranged to highlight the inherent qualities of the material.

Interior spaces are simultaneously toy-like and practical. A large wooden sliding element connects the first floor with the ground-level public space. The sliding element immediately sets a tone for possible fun in the house. The home is filled with individual design elements that bring joy. Reading words cast under a layer of tiles strategically placed above guest bedroom beds, you get moments of delight. Cast sculptural terraces in the bathroom, laser-engraved paintings on cabinet doors, ceramic lotuses on the terrace, a garden corner by the pool; create a vibrant impression for the farm house.

–Studio LAB