It’s where context-sensitive architecture meets innovation to create highly-original and experiential homes, that we find these five talents. They are on a constant journey of research, exploration and development of sustainable techniques, adaptive reuse and intuitive design. The winners of the ID Honours Awards 2023 in the category of Holiday Home/Second Home Design showcase a deep understanding of the relationship between good design, luxury and the natural environment.
Mumbai-based Spasm Design Architects is not interested in simply being avant-garde; for them, good design is intuitive and transformative. Their vast repertoire includes austere and elegant projects like the House Cast in Liquid Stone in Khopoli, the Copper House in Ahmedabad, and the Exim Tower and AON in Tanzania, to name just a few. With each project, the design firm focuses on building the script of their architecture in tune with the location and the people. Marrying all their shared experiences, their approach to each follows the journey from chaos to creation. Elaborate discussions, deep study of the site and intrinsic involvement of the team produces a tangible construct that is striking while lacking pointless ornamentation, functional and in line with the surrounding climate and landscape.
Home in Alibaug, Maharashtra. Photo by Umang Shah
Home in Alibaug, Maharashtra. Photo by Umang Shah
Matra Architects is an architectural and urban planning firm known for streamlined, context-sensitive architecture that focuses on integrating material and construction, in the search of archetypal form. For them, architecture is about finding that connection between the form and place where the context is absorbed by the building. Principal and founder, Verendra Wakhloo believe that the composition of building is transcultural with global references that aren’t necessarily contemporary. Established in 1990 in New Delhi, their architectural projects include schools and universities, industrial buildings, and a wide array of commercial and residential projects. In the search for an Indian identity, the formative years were influenced by the masters of Indian modernism, Charles Correa and B.V. Doshi.
Home in Delhi. Photo by Mayank Sharma
Home in Udaipur, Rajasthan. Photo by Edmund Sumner, Ashish Sahi, Ankit Jain
As young architects, Shefali Balwani and Robert Verrijt met in Sri Lanka where both were deeply influenced by the works of architect Geoffrey Bawa. It wasn’t just the forms that fascinated the duo, more specifically how his creations, though bold, did not demand submission of their surroundings but established a profound connection with the sensitive environmental setting. This seed eventually led to the starting of their own studio in 2006, Architecture BRIO, which strongly believes that architecture should remain a backdrop rather than take centre stage while creating a healthy relationship with the natural world. Operating in Rotterdam (the Netherlands) and Mumbai (India), the studio is lauded for projects spanning a vast array of cultures, climates and landscapes across the Indian Subcontinent and South East Asia with an emphasis on residential design. The studio’s portfolio also includes hospitality, educational and humanitarian design as well as cultural and institutional projects.
Retreat in Alibaug. Photo by Edmund Sumner, Randhir Singh
Retreat in Alibaug, Maharashtra. Photo by Edmund Sumner, Randhir Singh
Meaningful, sustainable design and adaptive reuse form the very core of what Mumbai-based Studio PKA is all about. Puran Kumar – Principal at Studio PKA – shuns unnecessarily complicated design in favour of letting the space’s identity speak volumes. Through a diverse spectrum of projects, the architecture and design house consistently explores fresh and innovative design expressions based on a deep understanding of the structure, site and occupant. Since its inception in 1993, some standout creations include corporate projects like The Loft | Redefined and Tianu | The Revival Project, architectural projects like the 5 Element House and The Mango House as well as residential interiors like The Canvas and The 18th.
Home in Pavana, Maharashtra. Photo by Amit Pasricha
Home in Alibaug, Maharashtra. Photo by Amit Pasricha
Vinu Daniel believes if we focus on the question of ‘Should we build?’ rather than ‘What should we build?’, the end result is a manmade form that is a relevant response to its surroundings; one that not only co-exists with its environment but maybe even capable of acting like an innate extension of the original form. The principal architect and founder of WALLMAKERS is the brain behind highly original architectural masterpieces like Chuzhi, a subterranean home in Shoolagiri, Tamil Nadu that originates from the rock bed, and The Ledge, a residence perched on the edge of a mountain and camouflaged within the landscape of Peeremedu, Kerala. His projects strip away the unnecessary to deeply focus on engaging with the site and utilizing the materials available in the vicinity including reimaging a purpose for waste materials.
Home in Shoolagiri, Tamil Nadu. Photo by Syam Sreesylam
Home in Peeremedu, Kerala. Photo by Syam Sreesylam
Story by Nadezna Siganporia
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The link between the two main areas, the one closest to the entryway with the bar counter and lounge and the one at the rear reserved for aesthetic treatments, is a decorative feature with a great scenic impact: a series of deep blue glass portals guides the gaze towards the beauty area, giving the space perspective depth and a theatrical feel. This liminal space also houses the boutique and the facial bar, functions that will cater for a passing public and have faster times than the more complex treatments, as well as delineating the perimeter of the two lounges. “The management of flows and technical spaces,” the architects tell us, “was especially complex. The brief for both Ballard & Fant’s identities were quite specific and binding, so the phases of the choice of space and the layouts of the areas were the most challenging points in the whole project.” cts tell us, “was especially complex. The brief for both Ballard & Fant’s identities were quite specific and binding, so the phases of the choice of space and the layouts of the areas were the most challenging points in the whole project.”The link between the two main areas, the one closest to the entryway with the bar counter and lounge and the one at the rear reserved for aesthetic treatments, is a decorative feature with a great scenic impact: a series of deep blue glass portals guides the gaze towards the beauty area, giving the space perspective depth and a theatrical feel. This liminal space also houses the boutique and the facial bar, functions that will cater for a passing public and have faster times than the more complex treatments, as well as delineating the perimeter of the two lounges. “The management of flows and technical spaces,” the architects tell us, “was especially complex. The brief for both Ballard & Fant’s identities were quite specific and binding, so the phases of the choice of space and the layouts of the areas were the most challenging points in the whole project.” cts tell us, “was especially complex. The brief for both Ballard & Fant’s identities were quite specific and binding, so the phases of the choice of space and the layouts of the areas were the most challenging points in the whole project.”
The link between the two main areas, the one closest to the entryway with the bar counter and lounge and the one at the rear reserved for aesthetic treatments, is a decorative feature with a great scenic impact: a series of deep blue glass portals guides the gaze towards the beauty area, giving the space perspective depth and a theatrical feel. This liminal space also houses the boutique and the facial bar, functions that will cater for a passing public and have faster times than the more complex treatments, as well as delineating the perimeter of the two lounges. “The management of flows and technical spaces,” the architects tell us, “was especially complex. The brief for both Ballard & Fant’s identities were quite specific and binding, so the phases of the choice of space and the layouts of the areas were the most challenging points in the whole project.” cts tell us, “was especially complex. The brief for both Ballard & Fant’s identities were quite specific and binding, so the phases of the choice of space and the layouts of the areas were the most challenging points in the whole project.”
The choice of materials and finishes was in keeping with this chromatic landscape. “Through the moodboard we visualized the allure of the space,” explains Pennesi. “An interplay of alternations between more or less tactile surface textures, contrasting colors and opaque and translucent finishes that create intriguing peep-through effects.” This led to the choice of stoneware tiles by Ceramica Sant’Agostino, which deck the floors and bar counter with their dense and uniform speckled pattern and bind together the different areas into which the space is divided, wth laminates from Arpa Industriale and Kaindl, used respectively for the support surfaces and the structures of the bespoke furnishings. “We chose these materials for both aesthetic and functional reasons. Aesthetic because this type of semi-finished product has color ranges that enabled us to make choices consistent with the palette we created; and practical because they are wearproof materials and ensure easy sanitization. In particular, Fenix, a special laminate we used to coat the counter top, with a surface that has a non-porous outer layer, makes the material easy to clean and suitable for contact with food as well as fingerprint-proof and pleasant to the touch.” Even the lighting was curated in detail, helping create a pleasant and richly detailed environment. Bellhop cordless table lamps designed by Barber & Osgerby for Flos, illuminate the tables with their discreet light. Suspended above the bar counter is a spectacular suspension composition created with a series of “leaves” in Diphy polycarbonate. Designed by Mirco Crosatto for Stilnovo, it was inspired by a fascinating Japanese plant, whose flowers turn as transparent as crystal in contact with water.