Wada at Mahabaleshwar
The brief was to design a bungalow on a verdant green site surrounded by mountains and Pratapgad. The programme involved ensuring every angle of Vastu be incorporated, right from the location of construction water to the location of the “Metaphorical Weight” of the building.Not being familiar with the demands of this occult science meant many discussions and debates, eventually leading to a plan that located rooms adhering to the laws of vastu and overlaying these, around and between, with an architecturally stimulating environment.

The structure is a load bearing one, with thick rubble walls on the windward side, the rest being plastered brick masonry. Deep overhangs of sloping roofs with judicious positioning of windows looked after the concern of rain protection. Staggering some of these walls allowed a playoff light, as did the introduction of skylights. Canted walls generated atypical spaces, which heighten the experience of the building. Generous passages, which tend to vary in volume, sometimes compacting into sky lit family rooms other times expanding into furniture filled living spaces, lead to the four bedrooms. The illogical but deliberate step up into the master bedroom was another vastu requirement. The scale of the bungalow amidst the majestic scape suggests a respect for man’s intervention in nature’s scheme.