Fact File
Location: Alibag, Maharashtra
Size: 320 sq m
Principal Architects: Shefali Balwani and Robert Verrijt
Photography by: Edmund Sumner and Randhir Singh
House in a Beach Garden by Architecture BRIO is an astute, design-led transformation of an almost-dilapidated coastal residence. Originally, a boundary wall separated the home from the serene Alibag seafront. It used to be segregated from its seafront by a tall boundary wall that separated the property—physically and visually from the coastline of Mumbai Bay—a missed opportunity. Therefore, the first and most important intervention was to lift the garden five feet above the existing level, such that the house, the garden, and the top of the boundary wall were all on the same level. The frame of the house was in such bad shape that it had to be demolished. However, we based the outline of the new house on the existing structure so that we could reuse the foundation. Additionally, all demolition material was re-used to raise the garden, so no material had to go to a landfill.
On arrival, one walks up a gentle set of stairs along a carefully crafted low basalt-masonry wall to reach the top level of the garden. The masonry planter bed flourishes with ecologically grown vegetables. With the house on one side and the pool in front on the other side, one catches a glimpse of the shimmering sea beyond. By placing the 20-meter-long swimming pool in the direction of the sea and just above the boundary wall, it enjoys a seamless visual transition from the reflective pool surface to the ocean. A row of palm trees carefully flanks the pool on the left side, creating a shady, breezy spot. A double-height space in the centre of the house leads to a staircase leading to the upper floor. A solid steel panel folds around as a railing. A skylight facing north animates the light that filters through into the living room downstairs.
Despite the earth fill surrounding them, our team was able to retain them. Since conical brick wells surround the base of the palm trees and keep the earth away, they can continue to breathe. It prevents them from suffocating. Simple tree gratings made of leftover rebar prevent those wells from becoming dangerous pits. The right side of the pool has a different character. Here, the landscape falls away, covered with wild, grassy vegetation, to the palm orchard. One enters the house from the generous, 4-meter-deep verandah that faces the garden and ocean. The ground-floor living room and dining room have glazed Amber double doors that lead out to the verandah. Similarly, at the back of the house, it opens to a large amber deck that extends into the palm orchard.
This skylight is sized for the 5×2 solar panels that electrify the house. To make the most of the scenic views from the site, the upper floor is composed of panoramic windows. The external faces of all the bedrooms can be opened up with glass sliding windows. On the west side, they open to expansive views of the sea, the beach, and the pool. On the east, a suspended bedroom enters the striking palm orchard within which the house nestles. Sliding screens made of aluminium strips wrap around the upper floor as a second skin. While they provide privacy and create beautiful shadows throughout the day, they can also be slid completely aside to relish in uninterrupted views of the surrounding area.
